A Message From the Intern
Natalie's first time in SF for work...not play...
One of the coolest parts of interning at Locket has been getting to think about how social media is changing.
I wasn’t allowed to get social media until I was in 7th grade. When I finally got the approval from my parents, I remember feeling like I needed to have multiple followers and “friends” added. Everyone seemed to be curating the perfect feed or trying to post the “right” thing with the wittiest caption. Even the supposedly effortless candids were often anything but effortless.
But lately, it feels like something is shifting.
My younger cousins don’t talk about follower counts or people’s posts in general. Instead, they’re sending blurry photos to their friends during class, capturing pictures of their lunch for group chats, and sharing moments that aren’t meant for everyone.
The internet still matters to them, yet it just feels more personal.
This may be why you’re reading this now on Substack. You’re tired of the monotonous algorithms of traditional social media and are desiring content that feels more human.
As I’ve been more behind-the-scenes, one statistic has stuck with me: the average U.S. user has just 13 friends added on Locket.
At first, that number seemed surprisingly small.
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
Most people don’t need another space to share with hundreds of strangers. They want a way to stay connected with the handful of people they actually talk to every day.
In fact, I only have 7 friends added myself.
And honestly, those are the people I want updates from consistently.
Sometimes I wish I had gone through my awkward middle school and high school years with that mindset of closeness. The best photos are often not the perfectly edited ones. A lot of the time, they’re the ones you barely remember taking—the ones that, years later, instantly bring you back to how you felt in that moment or remind you of the person you wanted to share it with.
That’s what makes Locket feel different to me.
It’s less about broadcasting and building an audience, and more about keeping up with your true friends — because every update from them feels exciting and worth seeing.
And in a world where so much online feels bigger, louder, and more polished than ever, I think that’s a pretty refreshing direction for social media.
