Talk to most young people about social media and they’ll tell you it isn’t very social anymore. Pugh research shows that 90% of Millennials (approx 72M) use Facebook and an American Press Institute study shows that half of those people are using privacy controls to hide their posts and content.
A new social platform hopes to change all of that: Hitcher. The founder’s mission was to encourage shared experiences and promote communication by giving users the power to control their personal network, eliminate social noise, and to create experiences with the people that really matter in their lives. At it’s core, Hitcher looks and feels a bit like Instagram but it’s centered around exclusive threaded posts similar to a group chat.
For example, imagine you’re going on vacation with roommates. Create a Hitch and tag everyone going with you. Everybody posts photos, videos, and comments, and Hitcher captures and preserves the entire shared experience.
It’s the clear answer for those of us that are tired of cat memes, political rants, or fear sharing personal information with our bloated friends lists. The app allows you to be more comfortable communicating because each Hitch is a closed network of it’s own.
As with anything new, Hitcher will have some kinks to work out but there is tremendous potential here. Not only do they have a list of features they’ll be adding after beta, they are already moving forward with another related app. Company Founder/CEO, Ian Kaine MacGregor told us “the bulk of social technology is committed to three channels – Social Media, Social Networking, and Social Entertainment. Hitcher is the first application dedicated to Social Communication and we believe that this will be the next revolution in social tech.”
The award winning team of 4 behind Hitcher have worked with Adidas, Zippo, Ariba, Marriott, Nasdaq, Outrigger, SAIC, and many more. The founders are Ian Kaine MacGregor (CEO/Creative), Phil Pastorek (Web Technology), Merina Shrestha (Mobile Technology), and Priscia Chavarria (Technology Strategy) and they are a powerhouse of career professionals and serial entrepreneurs.
It’s rare to find an original idea in social technology today, but Team Hitcher has done it. The app is a must-have for everyone’s iPhone or iPad and you should look for the Hitcher beta when it launches to the App Store on 1/1/17.