{Word of Mouth}: The Algorithm-Free, Recommendations-Based Social Media Platform

Picture this: a new social media platform, but not another stupid one based on vanity and/or fear mongering. Welcome to Word of Mouth, a useful tool for collecting, remembering, and reviewing recommendations from friends.

Here’s how Word of Mouth works:

Your friend Erin texts you and says “Have you guys been watching Search Party?” And you haven’t because no one told you that Search Party has become a popular and trendy show, because mostly you still don’t get to talk to people because D.C.’s Vaccine rollout is going too slowly. Because we have to give up shots to people who work here but live in other neighboring states, states that actively work to keep us from becoming our own autonomous state.

Anyways, you open up Word of Mouth and list that Erin suggested Search Party. And then you notice that you also had this same suggestion from your friend Jill, last month, and your friend Chris in January. That’s three tallies for Search Party, which makes it a pretty appealing add to your queue. Maybe you’ll get into it after you finish Flight Attendant which you can quickly research, came on a recommendation from two of your friends, Caroline and Alex.

Caroline was the one who told you about Ramy before anyone else did, so her Word of Mouth clout score is currently a bit higher than Erin’s who was the one who assured you that Knives Out was a better version of Clue, which it clearly wasn’t. Plus, Caroline told you about Lizzo years before she became a sensation.

As you review your completed watches, reads, or listens, Word of Mouth calculates and recalculates your friends’ clout scores so you know who you need to listen to, and who you can “Yeahhhh, I’ll put that on my list” as you add them to a never-ending list of things to consume in this era of peak content.

You can add suggestions to your lists manually, when people tell you about them in person.

You can also receive Direct Suggestions through the app, or search the app for trending recommendations, each with a list of reviewers, who you can also background check for past picks. And the information goes both ways! You can curate your own list of recent delights and maintain a top five for each recommendation category.

It’s difficult to stay up to date on everything, and Word of Mouth is here to help.

Independent and ad-free, you can be sure it is ad and algorithm free. One day, it may be compatible with streaming platforms so you can see the “Word of Mouth” score right next to Rotten Tomatoes. “Word of Mouth” wants to make your content experiences better and to cut down on time rummaging and scrolling through endless options.

Word of Mouth also has a new feature, where you can send recommendations to NOT watch or read or listen to a given thing. Whisper Campaign is the new forum where you can tell people why they really should give up on Fargo this season, even if they’ve loved the last few. Letting people know what to avoid is as important as spreading the good stuff.

Before I leave the genius idea for Word of Mouth, here for free to all programmers and designers (User Agreement: If you ever find yourself on Shark Tank, groveling for funding for this idea, you cannot take any money from Mr. Wonderful. Fuck that guy.) I will leave you with a few of my favorite recommendations from the last year or so.

Best Read:

• Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• Learning the Ropes by Simon Rich

Best Watch:

• Ted Lasso on Apple+
• Rewatching Ted Lasso on Apple+
• The Sound of Metal on Amazon

Best Listen:

• This Sound Serious Podcast – Season 1: The Case of Daniel Bronstadt
• Hit Parade: “Turn Around Bright Eyes”