Roost: 'Slow-Life' Social App Sending Messages Via Digital Birds Surges to 300,000 Users
A novel messaging app that simulates the speed of real-life animals to challenge the constant demand for speed in online culture has rapidly gained popularity without any advertising.
Roost, a new social media application dubbed 'Slow-cial', is gaining immense popularity with its counter-intuitive concept that forces users to wait for messages based on the actual speed of animals. Users can choose from over 1,000 types of animals—from fast falcons to slow snails or turtles—to deliver their messages. Delivery speed is calculated based on the animal's actual distance and behavior. The app was created by Logan Mendelsohn, a Senior Product Manager at Ticketmaster, originally as a personal project with friends. Roost went viral after a post on Threads, boosting its user count from 10,000 to 100,000 in just 3 days. It is now nearing 300,000 users merely five weeks after its April launch, with all growth being purely organic. Interestingly, Mendelsohn revealed he used Claude Code (an AI coding assistant tool) in the app's development.
Roost reflects a demand for online spaces that reduce pressure and speed, potentially offering a fresh alternative for those fatigued by mainstream social media.