Why I'm Building Snugg

I'm writing this from a yacht surveying office in the Caribbean, 4,328 miles from my family in the UK.

For 15 years, social media was my lifeline.

I used Facebook to stay connected with my mum, my brothers, my friends back home. I used it to show them my life here—the boats, the sunsets, the island adventures they couldn't be part of in person. I used these platforms for my business too, keeping clients updated and building relationships across oceans.

It worked beautifully.

Then, slowly—so slowly I barely noticed—it stopped working.

First, Facebook killed organic reach for business pages. Fair enough, I thought. That makes sense.

Then the algorithm took over personal feeds, too. Strange, but I suppose they need to make a buck.

Then the ads multiplied. Annoying, but I can scroll past them.

Until finally, last year, I had a moment of clarity that changed everything.

I was scrolling Instagram, killing time between appointments. I started paying attention to what I was actually seeing.

I counted.

One hour of scrolling:

47 ads

23 suggested posts from accounts I don't follow

12 reels from random creators

0—zero—posts from friends or family

Then something happened that made me realise this wasn't just broken. It was working exactly as designed—just not for me.

I saw a post on Facebook I didn't want to see. I clicked the X button to hide it. Facebook showed it to me again 10 minutes later. I clicked X again. It appeared again.

They didn't even pretend to care what I wanted anymore.

That's when I understood: I wasn't the customer. I was the product.

And social media wasn't about connection anymore. It was about attention extraction.

The Early Days: When It Actually Worked

Let me take you back to 2009.

I joined Facebook because everyone else had. But living in the Caribbean while my family was in Scotland, it quickly became genuinely useful.

My mum could see photos of the boats I was working on. My brothers and nephews could follow my island adventures. Friends from my previous life in Scotland could stay connected even though I'd moved 4,000 miles away to pursue a completely different career.

When I started my sailing holiday business for single people, Facebook became a business tool too. I could share updates about upcoming trips, post photos from adventures, keep past clients engaged. The organic reach was real. If I posted something, my followers actually saw it.

In 2010, I built my own website. I learned basic HTML and CSS. I taught myself SEO. Within a year, I was ranking #1 on Google for "single sailing in the Caribbean" and related keywords. I built an online booking system. I integrated it with my Xero accounting platform.

It worked. People found me. They booked trips. I made a living doing something I loved and people loved doing with me.

Social media and search engines were tools that helped me build something real.

That version of the internet feels like a distant memory now.

The Slow Decline: How They Changed the Rules

The changes happened gradually. Each one seemed minor. Each one seemed justified with reasonable explanations.

2012-2015: The Algorithm Arrives

Facebook introduced the "algorithm." They said it would show us content we were most likely to engage with. The chronological feed disappeared.

At first, it seemed fine. Maybe even helpful.

But slowly, I noticed I was seeing less from my actual friends and more from pages that posted frequently or paid for promotion.

2016-2018: Organic Reach Dies

Facebook killed organic reach for business pages. Posts that used to reach 1,000 followers now reached 50. Unless you paid.

I understood the logic. Facebook is a business. They need to make money.

But it felt like a bait-and-switch. They'd encouraged businesses to build audiences on their platform, then charged them to reach those same audiences.

2018-2020: The Ad Explosion

Ads multiplied everywhere, in feeds, in stories, between posts, as businesses like mine who used to rank on Google were pushed further down the page by the Google algorithm and turned to social media to get in front of potential clients. The ratio of content to ads shifted dramatically.

Instagram, which had been relatively ad-free, became indistinguishable from Facebook's ad delivery system, because in fact, it's not.

2020-2024: The Final Transformation

TikTok changed everything. Every platform copied TikTok's algorithm. Suddenly, social media wasn't about following people you chose anymore. It was about an infinite scroll of content chosen for you by an algorithm optimised for engagement.

Chronological feeds disappeared completely. Control disappeared. Choice disappeared.

Instagram became a place where you saw:

Random reels from creators you never followed

Suggested posts from accounts the algorithm thought you'd like

Ads. So many ads.

Occasionally, if you were lucky, something from someone you actually followed

Facebook went the same direction. Your feed became whatever the algorithm decided you should see.

Throughout all of this, I kept using these platforms. Because where else would I go?

My family was there. My friends were there. My business connections were there.

That's the genius of network effects. They trap you.

Even as the experience got worse and worse, the cost of leaving seemed too high.

The Breaking Point: When I Couldn't Ignore It Anymore

Last year, something shifted in my brain.

I was scrolling Instagram before breakfast. I'd been mindlessly scrolling for what felt like a few minutes. I checked the time. An hour had passed.

What had I actually seen in that hour?

I decided to find out.

I started paying attention. I counted.

One hour of "social" media:

47 advertisements

23 posts from accounts I don't follow (suggested by the algorithm)

12 TikTok-style reels from random creators

2 posts from friends or family

Two. In a full hour of scrolling a platform I supposedly used to "stay connected with people," I saw next to nothing from an actual person in my life.

That's when something broke in my acceptance of this situation.

But what really did it—what truly made me realise this was irredeemable—was what happened next.

I saw a post. Not even an ad. I wasn't interested. I clicked the X button and selected "Hide this post."

Ten minutes later, the exact same post appeared in my feed.

I clicked X again. "Hide this post."

Five minutes later. There was another post from the same account that I also didn't want to see and that I certainly hadn't followed.

They didn't even pretend anymore. My preferences didn't matter. My explicit request to not see something was simply ignored.

Because my preferences weren't the point. My attention was the point. And that business had paid for my attention.

I sat there, phone in hand, and realised: I've been tolerating being treated with contempt by a platform that sees me as nothing more than a resource to be extracted.

And I'd been paying for this privilege with my time, my attention, my data, and my mental health.

That was my breaking point.

The Research: Understanding What They're Really Doing

Once I saw it clearly, I couldn't unsee it.

I started researching. How bad was this really? Was I overreacting?

What I found horrified me.

The Data Collection

Meta doesn't just collect data from Facebook and Instagram. They track you across the entire internet. Even when you're logged out. Even if you never created an account (shadow profiles).

They collect:

Everything you post, like, comment on, or react to

Every person you interact with, and how often

How long you look at each post

What you search for

Websites you visit (through embedded pixels)

Your location history

Your contacts (even non-users)

Your private messages metadata (who, when, how often)

Your photos (including facial recognition data)

Your voice (if you use voice messages)

The Behavioral Manipulation

In 2014, Facebook published a study where they manipulated users' emotional states by changing what appeared in their feeds. They made some people's feeds more negative to see if it would make them post negative content.

They literally experimented with making people sad to see what would happen.

This wasn't a rogue researcher. This was official company research published in a scientific journal.

They discovered they could manipulate emotions. And rather than stop, they built it into the core product.

The algorithm isn't designed to show you what you want. It's designed to show you what keeps you engaged. Which often means content that makes you angry, anxious, or envious.

The Attention Extraction

The average person spends 2.5 hours per day on social media. That's 912.5 hours per year. 38 days.

You spend more than a month of every year scrolling.

And what do you get for those 38 days? Meta makes $42.85 per user per year in ad revenue in the US/Canada.

You trade 38 days of your life for the privilege of being advertised to.

That's not a fair exchange. That's exploitation.

The WhatsApp Contradiction

Even WhatsApp—supposedly private, supposedly encrypted—collects extensive metadata.

They may not know what you're saying, but they know:

Who you're talking to

When you're talking

How often you message each person

Your social network structure

Group memberships

Contact lists

That metadata is extraordinarily revealing. Researchers have shown you can predict divorce, job loss, and health issues just from messaging patterns.

So yes, the message content is encrypted. But they still know almost everything about you.

The Survey: I Wasn't Alone

By this point, I was thoroughly insulted. But I wondered: was I being dramatic?

Maybe I was the only one who felt this way. Maybe everyone else was perfectly happy with social media as it exists.

So I created a survey. I asked people about their biggest frustrations with existing social platforms.

The results validated everything I was feeling:

74% are sick of ads everywhere

Almost three-quarters of you are frustrated by constant advertising. You don't want social media to be a billboard. You want connection.

74% hate algorithmic feeds showing irrelevant content

Almost three-quarters of you want control over what you see. You don't trust the algorithm to decide what's "relevant" to you.

46% think social media's highest priority is to stay connected with specific people

Nearly half of you have a simple desire: stay connected with people you care about. That's it. That's what you want from social media.

60% have serious privacy concerns

Well over half of you are worried about what's being done with your data. You know something's wrong, even if you can't articulate exactly what.

I wasn't alone. Not even close.

We all watched social media break. We all felt it stop working for us. We all felt trapped by network effects, unable to leave because "everyone's there."

We all deserve better.

The Decision: Why I'm Building This

At this point, I had three options:

Option 1: Delete everything and lose connection

I could quit social media entirely. Many people do. It would probably be good for my mental health.

But I'd lose my primary connection to family 4,000 miles away. I'd lose touch with friends scattered around the globe. I'd lose my business network.

That wasn't acceptable.

Option 2: Keep using platforms that don't respect me

I could just accept this is how social media works now. Tolerate the ads, the manipulation, the data extraction. Keep paying with my attention and privacy for the privilege of occasionally seeing content from people I know.

Many people choose this option. They're frustrated, but they don't leave.

That wasn't acceptable either.

Option 3: Build what should exist

Or I could build the alternative.

I'm not a software developer. I'm a yacht surveyor who previously ran a sailing holiday business.

But I know how to build things. In 2010, I built my business website myself. I taught myself HTML, CSS, and basic programming. I created an online booking system. I integrated payment processing and accounting software. I topped Google search results for my keywords.

I know how to identify a problem and create a solution.

And here's the thing: with recent advances in AI-assisted development, you don't need to be a traditional developer anymore. You need curiosity, determination, and a clear understanding of what users want.

I have all three.

So I chose option 3.

I'm building Snugg.

What Snugg Is: The Alternative That Should Exist

Here's what I wanted from social media. What we all wanted, based on the survey results:

Simple connection

Post when I want to post

My groups see it when they want to see it

No algorithm deciding who sees what

No ads interrupting every third scroll

Real privacy

No data harvesting

No behavioral tracking

No selling my information

No metadata collection

User control

Chronological feeds

I choose who I follow

I control who sees my posts

My preferences are respected

Transparent business model

I pay with money, not with my data

Clear low pricing

No hidden costs

The company works for users, not advertisers

This didn't seem complicated. So that's what Snugg is.

Here's how it works:

Small Private Groups

Instead of broadcasting to "followers," you create small groups for different parts of your life. Family group. Close friends. Sailing buddies. Book club. Whatever.

You post to these groups. They see your posts in chronological order when they check in. No algorithm. No ads.

End-to-End Encryption

Everything is encrypted on your device before it's sent. Even we can't read your posts, messages, or photos. Not "won't"—physically can't.

Your data is yours. We're just storing encrypted bits that only you and your groups can decrypt.

Subscription Model

You pay €5/month. In exchange, you get a platform that works for you, not advertisers.

No ads. No data sales. No behavioral tracking. Simple.

Open Source

The code is public. Security researchers can audit it. You can verify we're doing what we say we're doing.

Don't trust us. Verify us.

Your Data

You can export your data anytime. You own it. If Snugg doesn't work for you, leave. No lock-in.

That's it. That's Snugg.

It's not revolutionary. It's just social media that does what it's supposed to do: connect people.

The Vision: What Success Looks Like

I'm not trying to beat Meta. I'm not trying to get a billion users. I'm not trying to build a unicorn startup.

I have a different definition of success.

Success is 1,000 families staying genuinely connected.

1,000 groups of people who can share their lives with each other without being exploited for ad revenue.

1,000 sets of friends who can communicate without algorithms deciding what they see.

1,000 people who feel like social media actually works for them again.

That would be enough. That would be success.

But the bigger vision is this:

I want to give people back what the big platforms took away:

Real connection with their people

Control over their digital life

Freedom from constant noise and manipulation

Most importantly, I want to free up their time and clear their minds from the endless scroll, the constant ads, the algorithmic manipulation.

So they can do more valuable things with their lives.

Like exploring a part of the world in a boat with people they love.

Or reading that book they bought six months ago.

Or cooking dinner without checking their phone.

Or calling their mum.

Or whatever brings them joy.

Social media should enhance your life, not replace it.

It should connect you with people, not exploit your attention.

It should respect your time, not steal it.

That's the vision. That's what I'm building Snugg to do.

Join Us: Let's Build This Together

I'm looking for 1,000 founding members.

1,000 people who felt what I felt when they realised social media broke.

1,000 people who are tired of:

Being treated as products to be sold to advertisers

Having their preferences ignored

Watching ads instead of seeing their friends

Being manipulated by algorithms

Having their data harvested

1,000 people who want something better.

If that's you, I'm building this for us.

I don't have venture capital. I don't have a marketing budget. I don't have a team of engineers.

I have a clear vision of what social media should be, the skills to build it, and the determination to see it through.

And I'm looking for people who believe in that vision.

What founding members get:

Lifetime discount on subscription

Input into feature development

Early access to the platform

A social media experience that actually respects you

What I'm asking:

Join the waitlist

Share this with people who feel the same frustration

Give feedback when we launch

Help build a community that deserves better

This isn't a sales pitch. This is an invitation.

Join me in building social media that actually works for people.

Join the waitlist: snugg.social

Or email me directly: sam@snugg.social

I want to hear your story. I want to know what frustrates you. I want to understand what you want from social media.

Because I'm not building this for investors or advertisers.

I'm building this for us.

Let's take back our connections. Let's take back our time!

About the Author - Sam Bartlett

I'm a yacht surveyor based in the Caribbean and the founder of Snugg. After 15 years watching social media platforms prioritize ads over genuine connection, I decided to build the alternative. I previously built and ran a successful sailing holiday business, topping Google search results for years before algorithm changes destroyed organic reach. I'm not a developer or privacy activist—just someone who got tired of platforms that forgot their purpose. When I'm not building Snugg or surveying yachts, I wish everyone had more time for sailing in beautiful places (or whatever brings you joy).

Connect with me:

Twitter: @snugg_social

LinkedIn: Sam Bartlett

Email: hello@capitainesam.com

If this resonated with you, please share it with someone who feels the same frustration. Together, we can build something better.