A strange new app called Palmsy lets you post content to social media networks filled with admirers who only exist in your imagination. Whether used as a novel journaling app or as a nicotine patch to treat social media addiction, Palsy prevents your “posts” from being seen by the real world and stores them on-device, offline, and privately.
Palmsy’s app store description says it “lets you publish small posts for yourself.” Essentially, that’s all you do. As for why you’d do something like this, those who have difficulty with typical journaling or mind-mapping apps may find it a more inspiring framework. Or, if your social posting habit has gotten out of hand (or you want to get rid of it for any other reason), it can serve as a way to wean yourself off and give you the benefit of the doubt without sharing anything publicly. Dopamine stimulation.
One neat trick from developer Pat Nakajima is that the app imports your contacts and generates fake likes from them.as pointed out TechCrunchNakajima wrote on Threads that none of the content leaves your device, nor is it posted to your contacts, the app’s servers, or anywhere else. “It’s just pretense,” he clarified.
If it feels a little weird to see fake likes from real contacts, a recent update added the ability to limit the number of fake likes your posts receive. You can also set a cap on the reception time, from a few seconds to a few days.
The app is free, iOS only, and includes iPhone and iPad versions.
