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Barret Vogtman
Barret Vogtman

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I'm Tired of Toxic Social Media — So I'm Building My Own Platform Focused on Belonging

#buildinpublic #techforgood #kotlin #indiedev

Social media was supposed to bring us closer together.

But more and more, it feels like the opposite.

The constant outrage.

The algorithmic manipulation.

The hate, the harassment, the performative everything.

I’ve had enough.

💡 So I’m building something different.

It’s called KindredCircl — a social platform rooted in authentic connection, belonging, and safety.

  • No ads.
  • No data mining.
  • No engagement farming.
  • Just people, stories, and human connection.

We’re talking real posting, shared experiences, and a chance to connect with people who actually see you.

Not as metrics. Not as targets. As people.

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Kotlin Multiplatform (Jetpack Compose, Kobweb)
  • Ktor backend (GraphQL, Firebase Auth, PostgreSQL)
  • Redis for caching + feed ranking
  • BERT + sentence embeddings (MPNet / e5-large) for feed + moderation
  • Everything Dockerized, deployed via GCP

Right now, it’s just me writing the code — solo.

This is 100% indie. No funding. No marketing team. Just the vision and the work.

🤝 Why I’m Sharing This

I’m sharing this to find collaborators, supporters, and believers.

If this mission resonates with you — if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or unseen on social media — I’d love for you to follow along, get involved, or just say hey.

You can support the project here (every bit helps):

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/kindredcircl

Or just follow me here as I build this in public.

🧵 What’s Coming

At launch, KindredCircl will include:

  • Beacon posts (public conversation starters)
  • Reflections (private or kin-only journals)
  • A Kin system (close connection network with tiered limits)
  • Moderation tools (BERT-assisted + community reporting)
  • Tiered memberships (free + paid, no pay-to-be-seen nonsense)

I’m doing my best to keep it real, ethical, and human-centered — even if that takes longer.

If this kind of future sounds worth fighting for,

then yeah… I’m building it. For all of us.

Let’s make something better.

Together. 💛

I’d love to hear from you.
What would you want to see in a healthier, more human social platform?

Or if you’ve tried building something like this yourself — what helped you push through?

Drop your thoughts, ideas, or questions in the comments. I’m building this out in the open and would love to connect with others doing the same. 💛

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