Tiny Talk LLC is based in Denver, Colorado.
Tiny Talk's mission is to help build healthy and inclusive communities by making it easier for people to connect for short, spontaneous, one-on-one conversations.
The core problem Tiny Talk aims to solve is around the loss of social serendipity. Social network tools make it easier than ever to snap, post, tweet and share every waking moment, yet for many people it's never been harder to actually connect and find meaning in the relationships that matter. Loneliness and social isolation are at historic highs [1].
Meanwhile, the curated content and interactions we experience on social network platforms are determined by algorithms which optimize on user retention and business metrics, not on building stronger, healthier relationships and communities. At a societal level, these dynamics reinforce information bubbles and cycles of polarization. To be clear, these outcomes are not the result of some nefarious schemes by big tech. Quite the opposite -- they are the emergent, unintended consequences of rapid technological progress -- but they're real challenges that actually matter, which can and should be solved.
The central hypothesis behind Tiny Talk is that if you make it easier for people to meaningfully connect with others in their community -- even for only a few minutes -- that you can trigger the positive dynamics which are key to building stronger communities. Tiny Talk applies this concept in the form of a mobile app -- tap a single button, and connect at random with someone in your community -- whether work, school, family or friends -- for a randomly-coordinated, seven-minute one-on-one video chat. The result: an easy button for injecting social serendipity into any community -- a fun and energizing product experience akin to the feeling of getting a call from a friend out of the blue: "Hey! I only have a few minutes but I was thinking of you and just wanted to call to say hi and see how you're doing."
Our hope is that by bringing back social serendipity, Tiny Talk can be a force for good in the world -- to make it easier for people to stay meaningfully connected to the people that matter in their lives, and to help cultivate strong, healthy and inclusive communities.
Tiny Talk was created in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a project aimed at helping people navigate the challenges of quarantine, social distancing and isolation.