This product was not featured by Product Hunt yet. It will not be visible on their landing page and won't be ranked (cannot win product of the day regardless of upvotes).
TouchGrass aims to be a safe, non-addictive social network for real friends, with no algorithmic feed, videos, public like counts, or infinite scroll. ATProto- and ActivityPub-compatible, with a focus on real life, friends, portability & interoperability.
Hi guys
I'm trying to build a very opinionated social network interface, on top of the existing Fediverse and ATProto protocols, meaning people who are already on Mastodon, Bluesky, Pixelfed, etc. can just link their accounts; but the interface is fully based on non-addictive patterns.
It started because I was way too addicted to social media myself and found myself scrolling Reels for hours on end. So I had to delete Facebook and Instagram. But I do want to be able to follow the life of the people that are important to me. I researched "the perfect product" for me and found two avenues: the protocols and the niche networks.
The protocols (ActivityPub/Fediverse & ATProto/Atmosphere) are very useful because they break silo's, but the interfaces currently built on them are not what I was looking for. They mimic Twitter and Instagram, while I was more interested in a true friend-focused, less content-focused interface. More classic Facebook, basically. Some niche apps were good too, but they just have too limited a user base, and I'll never be able to convince everyone to join one of those. I also have no clue where their development will go in the future. In the end, I did like early Facebook and Instagram. It's just the enshittified versions that I despise. so I was really looking at this in a way that if I get tired of the platform itself, I (and all users) can move, without having to lose my contacts and content again.
So that's why I'm trying to build something where you can follow already existing Mastodon, Pixelfed, Bluesky, etc. accounts and see their content directly in your feed; without having to be too concerned about protocols and servers as a user, as this is clearly a blocking point for many people.
So therefor: https://touchgrass.network
If people want to try and join and give real user feedback, that would be extremely helpful. I feel like I'm too deep into it to really look at it with fresh eyes. Even if it's just the onboarding process. Any advice and feedback would be great.
(Ignore the github link, the source code is on tangled, but producthunt wouldn't accept that by itself)
Love the non-addictive, friend-focused take on social + the ATProto/ActivityPub interoperability. Congrats on shipping this, Niels!
genuinely love that you went with no infinite scroll and no algorithmic feed baked in from day one, that kind of discipline is rare and honestly kind of refreshing
Finally, a feed that doesn't feel like it's trying to keep me scrolling. Loved how clean it is and that my actual friends are front and center without all the noise.
Love that you're building for real connection instead of engagement metrics. The decision to skip algorithmic feeds and like counts from day one takes real conviction.
About TouchGrass on Product Hunt
“Another social network”
TouchGrass was submitted on Product Hunt and earned 5 upvotes and 5 comments, placing #71 on the daily leaderboard. TouchGrass aims to be a safe, non-addictive social network for real friends, with no algorithmic feed, videos, public like counts, or infinite scroll. ATProto- and ActivityPub-compatible, with a focus on real life, friends, portability & interoperability.
TouchGrass was featured in Open Source (68.7k followers), Social Network (50.4k followers), Social Media (89.2k followers) and GitHub (41.4k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 71k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted TouchGrass?
TouchGrass was hunted by Niels. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how TouchGrass stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Niels