"Hey, I think someone stole your concept"

Notice any similarities?

Recently the app BeReal has gained traction around the world. While I’m sure the founders have worked hard to get it into the Top-10 most downloaded app, I have to admit it’s a hard pill to swallow since much of the concept is borrowed from our anti-social media app minutiae.

We wanted to create an app that celebrated the mundane ordinary moments of life.

My co-creator and I created minutiae in 2015 as a counter-reaction to the highly curated life we often see on social media. We wanted to create an app that celebrated the mundane ordinary moments of life. The type of moments that make up 99% of our time but rarely get documented because they don’t seem worthy of documenting - like watching TV, doing the dishes, being stuck in traffic, etc. 

"if it's free - you are the product"

In order to create a true "Anti Social-Media" experience, we decided to make it anonymous and remove likes, comments, and profiles. We limit the interaction to one minute per day and made participants pay for the experience - "if it's free - you are the product". The app was released in the App Store in 2017 and thanks to features in Wired, Financial Times, Monocle, and Vice, we got a lot of participants who have helped to spread the word about the project. 

"Hey, I think someone stole your concept"

Fast forward to earlier this year when I started to receive emails from our participants with subject lines like "Hey, I think someone stole your concept". Someone compared it to an Instagramified version of minutiae, others accused them of theft and asked if we called our lawyers yet. To be honest, even though it’s frustrating that they borrowed much of the concept and talk about “Authenticity” I still believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. Minutiae is a long-term self-portrait but also a way to document society. 

If you want to support self-funded projects such as ours then next time you hear someone talking about BeReal share our manifesto

If you want to support self-funded projects such as ours then next time you hear someone talking about BeReal share our manifesto (you might be surprised by the similarities) and remind them that minutiae is a marathon, not a sprint.