Palmsy: A Device-Only Social Network to Scratch Your Posting Itch

Palmsy: The Social Media App That Lets You Post into the Void

The Dopamine Rush of Social Media

Picture this: you’ve just joined a brand new social network, starting from scratch with zero friends, zero followers, and zero likes. But as you begin sharing content, the likes and comments start trickling in, potentially leading to an influx of new followers. That dopamine rush encourages you to post even more, creating a cycle of engagement and reward. But what if there was an app that could provide that same dopamine boost without the public scrutiny?

Introducing Palmsy

Enter Palmsy, a new app that aims to be the methadone of social media by allowing you to post anything and receive likes on your content. The catch? No one can actually see your posts. You can share as much as you want, even adding photos to your posts, but you’re essentially sending those posts into a digital black hole. According to developer Pat Nakajima, no post ever leaves your device, and all the likes you receive are completely fabricated.

Image Credits: Palmsy

How Palmsy Works

The free app, available for both iPhone and iPad, generates fake likes by scanning your contact list. While the app does access your contact details, it’s important to note that since all posts are stored locally, no contact information is sent to a server. As Nakajima explains in the app’s FAQ section:

It can be fun to see Likes coming in from folks you haven’t thought about in years. It can also be useful in maybe deleting some contacts you might not need anymore.

Palmsy shows you the contact who “liked” your post Image Credits: Palmsy

A Personal Diary or Pun Playground

Beyond its contact-scanning feature, Palmsy can serve as a personal diary or even a space to unleash your worst puns without fear of judgment. It’s entirely up to you how you choose to utilize the app. In a recent update, the developer introduced advanced options that allow you to control the number of likes on a post and the duration over which those likes are received, ranging from a few seconds to a few days.

The Quest to Curb Social Media Addiction

Palmsy joins a growing list of apps designed to help users manage their screen time and combat social media addiction. From CarrotsCake to Opal and Grace, developers are increasingly focused on creating tools to help users limit their time spent on social media. Some have even gone as far as creating bare-bones apps that allow users to post without consequences, such as former Google Reader product manager Jason Shellen’s relaunch of Brizzly as a website where posts disappear into the ether as soon as you hit send.