It's Thursday evening. My phone buzzes with an alert but instead of a ding it makes the sound of a can being opened. "silas [sic] is drinking beer" the notification reads. I open the app and am greeted with a blurry selfie of my friend on a patio, an IPA in hand. Seemingly by accident, the photo has been flipped upside down.
"Nice," I think to myself. "I'm glad my friend is having a fun night."
I then close the app and continue living my life.
When a friend suggested I download the Beer Buddy app this spring, I thought it sounded incredibly stupid. It's a social network, with likes and comments and a scrolling feed of posts that looks kind of like Instagram. But instead of beach photos and infographics, each post is just a grainy selfie and a caption that denotes the type of alcohol you're drinking. The feed is chronological and only shows posts from people you follow. You can tag the location or friends you're with, but that's pretty much it. There's no greater substance or meaning.
Several months later, I still think Beer Buddy is stupid. It's also kind of genius.
I don't post on Beer Buddy often. I'll go weeks forgetting it's even installed and then randomly decide my followers — nine at time of writing — might appreciate a photo of the IPA I'm drinking. If it gets more than two likes I'll consider it high engagement and call it a day. There's a map feature some use to connect with other party-goers, but I stick to people I know IRL. The app feels liberating because...
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