The difference between having true friends rather than fake friends by our sides can make a whole lot of difference. Fake friends are like soap bubbles and only pop out when the sun is shining. So what do you do about it? Yep, that’s right. Throw them in the trash! Frog App is showing us that now is the time to stop being nice and say no to fakes.
A huge graffiti bin – designed with art spelling out ‘no fake friends’ appeared across locations in London, reminding passers-by to ditch their phoney pals.
‘This bin was epic,’ laughed Femi, 22, on his way to work. ‘I had a closer look. Too right. Life is too short to waste on fake friends. Can’t be bothered with them anymore.’
At one point, a group of students gathered around, pretending to throw each other in. ‘We’ve all got fake friends,’ said Luisa. ‘The people that talk about us behind our backs. Want something when it suits them or drains our energy. It’s a cool reminder that these relationships aren’t the ones that matter.’
Who is (not) talking trash?
The bins were the work of a group of London-based mavericks, who built a social networking App, Frog, as a statement to redefine online messaging. The Frog App teambelieves it is time to take a stand against fake friends and focus on the relationships that count. In doing so, we can ditch the people who don’t care.
The in-App features include the ‘checking in on friends’ feature, so each time a friend checks in, you will be notified and asked what you are doing (WYD). It also features casual video messaging and stories (SUP), so you can contact your friends at any time – no need for highlighted pictures and videos – just honest and authentic communications. When we check-in or reach out to see how someone is, it shows we really care.
‘I’d rather have five good friends online than 500 fake ones,’ added Luisa. ‘Makes sense to me. I think we are all past the point of thinking of having 500 or even 5000 friends is important. It’s not actually possible to have deep relationships with all of them. If only a few of those really care, I’d rather not bother with the rest.’
Time to get picky?
Frog has been designed to help us focus on growing real relationships online and allow users to nurture and maintainfriendships. Capturing and sharing their daily lives means users can nurture meaningful communication. The Frog App shows us that it’s time to stop being nice and instead, we can focus on the people who matter.
‘People’s highlight reels are not real life,’ added Femi. ‘That’s all for show. Frog App makes sense. Spontaneous chats are real. This is a cool way of showing it.’
The graffiti bins appeared throughout London, showing us what we need to think about in 2022: Getting more real with our friends and ditching the fakes. Frog (www.frogapp.me)was founded by two LSE students and now has over four million users with ever-growing communities in London, California, and Texas, where users are looking out for their real friends.
‘I love this idea,’ said Luisa. ‘Social media is a whole new ballgame when it comes to friendships, and this sounds like it can make interactions way more meaningful. Where do I sign up?’
