We wanted meaningful connections. Instead we got 140 characters.

Social media is broken.

We want community and connection with our friends, family, and co-workers. We want to share witty observations, deep thoughts, and everything between.

But social networks today aren't made for that. Social media makes money from advertisements, so they optimize their sites to "maximize engagement." The more time you spend on social media, the more money they make. They exploit your time and attention to make a buck. They surveil you and use algorithmic feeds to serve targeted ads. They trick you into caring about likes and comments. About favorites and retweets. They try to force you to care about influencers. And engagement. And number of views.

Social media has become performative. You feel pressure to show the world a fake version of your true self. You feel anxious — as you scroll the infinite feed — of people having more fun than you. You're conditioned to rack up the hearts, and likes, and comments. You feel pressure to like and comment on your best friend's post.

Research shows that the more time you spend on social media, the less happy you feel. Social media sites are designed to be addictive. They are designed to be superficial. They shorten our attention span and overload our dopamine receptors. They polarize and breed extremism.

We need a place to share what's on our mind with people we care about. Slowly. Without likes. Without reacts. Without social anxiety and external pressure. We need to do better.

Enter Longwave.

Longwave is a brand new way to connect. It's a way to journal together, in small groups. It's a place to stay connected to your close friends. And family. And coworkers. To share real thoughts — deep or not. It's a place that values your time and attention.

Longwave updates once a day. There are no comments, and there are no replies. There are no flame wars. Or bots. Or presidents.

It's a rethink of social media, from the ground up.