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Friendster Comparison: Legacy vs Modern
A comparison between the original Friendster focus and the modern reimagined version.
Primary Sources
Friendster rises from the grave to deshittify social media
It's been more than a decade since social media platform Friendster went dark, but a new owner has brought it back from the dead - sort of - with the hope he can give exhausted users of modern platforms a reprieve. Philadelphia-based computer programmer Mike Carson said in a blog post on Monday that he bought the Friendster domain and later secured the brand's trademarks last year, and now has an iOS app available for aging internet denizens who want to return to Friendster, or those who wish to join anew. Carson has made a career out of starting solo SaaS operations, like domain name backordering site Park.io, as well as playing the domain name market, and his acquisition of Friendster happened because of his connection to that industry. He explains in his blog post that he noticed Friendster.com began resolving again in October 2023 after eight years offline, and quickly identified the owner through WHOIS records and his Park.io connections. "I was curious who owned it, so I looked at the WHOIS info and recognized the owner as a customer of Park.io … and that I had corresponded with him previously over email," Carson said. It turns out the buyer paid less than $8,000 for the Friendster domain and was now simply using it to serve ads. "We worked out a deal where I gave him $20k in Bitcoin and a domain that was making about $9k/year in ad revenue, and he gave me the domain friendster.com," Carson added. It's worth pointing out at this point that, at its peak, Friendster had more than 115 million registered users, most of whom were located in the Asia-Pacific region after successive platforms (e.g., MySpace and Facebook) displaced it in the US. Malaysian payments provider MOL Global bought Friendster in 2009 in a deal reportedly valued at $26.4 million, as the social network increasingly focused on Asia-Pacific users. $26.4 million isn't a lot in big tech bucks nowadays, nor was it in 2009 when Facebook was valued at $10 billion. Either way, $20,000 in bitcoin and a domain that makes a pittance in annual recurring ad revenue is a far cry from Friendster's peak. Neo-Friendster: Where friends are your actual friends "Today I feel that social networks foster a lot of negativity, but I remembered Friendster as being a really positive and enjoyable experience," Carson writes, rose-colored glasses on the early internet notwithstanding. "I wanted to create something positive — something that people would enjoy and find useful." That, he noted, took the form of ...
Friendster Returns as In-Person Social App That Only Works Through Real ...
Before Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and even MySpace, Friendster had existed as one of the earliest social networking platforms. Right now, it's reportedly making an unexpected comeback with a completely different vision for all users.After shutting down in 2018, the iconic domain was revived by entrepreneur Mike Carson, who reportedly purchased Friendster.com for around $30,000 through a deal involving Bitcoin and a revenue-generating domain name.Friendster's New Vision Focuses On Real-Life Socializing Friendster Labs Inc. Unlike modern platforms that prioritize endless scrolling and algorithm-driven engagement, the new Friendster focuses on real-world interaction. The redesigned iOS app introduces a unique feature that only allows users to add friends by physically tapping phones together in person, encouraging face-to-face connections instead of online-only relationships.Carson's version of Friendster challenges today's dominant social media model. Instead of rewarding screen time and viral content, the app is designed to push users away from passive scrolling and toward real-world meetups.One of its most unusual features is a relationship decay system. Friendships gradually weaken if users stop meeting in person. If two friends fail to interact for a year, their digital connection slowly fades, reflecting how real-life relationships naturally evolve.A Social Network Built Around Human ConnectionAccording to BoingBoing, the updated Friendster app still supports communication through mutual connections. Users can message friends of friends, creating a more community-driven network rather than one dominated by strangers or algorithmic recommendations.Although premium features are planned for the future, Carson says monetization is not the immediate priority. The focus is instead on building a platform centered around healthier, more meaningful social interaction.Can Friendster Compete In Today's Social Media Era?Friendster's revival comes at a time when concerns about screen addiction, online toxicity, and algorithm-driven engagement are growing globally.Its "real-world-first" approach could appeal to users looking for more authentic interactions and less digital noise. However, whether this unconventional model can compete with established giants like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok remains uncertain.ⓒ 2026 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Friendster and Vine Are Rebooted As New Apps - Business Insider
Two internet relics are rising from the dead this week: Friendster and Vine. DiVine, backed by Jack Dorsey, launched a decentralized version of the short-form video app, Vine. Friendster, an early ...
Divine Launches in App Stores Expanding Its Vision for Human-First, AI ...
Divine, the new six-second looping video app that reimagines the spirit of early internet human creativity by restoring Vine classics and banning AI slop, today launched in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
