Can an App Force Social Change & Happiness?

The Situationist app has been launched to spark encounters between strangers in order to spread good deeds, happiness and add an “unpredictable thrill to everyday life.” But does an app really have that power and will anyone actually use it?

The premise behind Situationist is actually rather lovely. It’s been designed to get random strangers to connect, alerting them when they’re close to one another and then getting them to take part in some kind of activity.

According to the description from the iTunes store, this can include everything from friendly exchanges, such as “hug me for five seconds exactly”, to controversial behaviour, such as "help me rouse everyone around us into revolutionary fervour and storm the nearest TV station."

If you want to get involved, you must download the app, add a photo of yourself and have your GPS settings on constantly.

Obviously the sceptic in me thinks this all sounds a little strange and who can blame me with the increasing popularity of apps like Grindr, which work on a similar idea, but people are actually meeting for casual sex and not hugs.

The makers assure potential Situation-ers that the tasks are moderated, photos are checked for “exhibitionism” and hostile, offensive or inappropriate behaviour is reported, so that addresses some of the immediate fears about this app becoming widespread.

But what’s really interesting is that the app isn’t a stand alone idea cooked up by a lonely tech geek, it’s been devised by Benrik, a collection of artists and authors who penned This Diary Will Change Your Life, which has a similar set of tasks for its readers. Their motivation for creating Situationist is detailed on their website, they explain it’s in reference to the Situationist International, a radical movement which seeks to transform the world through random and experimental acts. One of their main aims is apparently to “protest against the demonization of strangers encouraged by the media” and achieve positive things from these chance encounters instead of avoiding them.

I’d love to know what others think. Part of me is excited that with our iPhones, that in so many ways keep tabs on us and make us conform, we can change the world and make good things happen. The other more realistic part thinks it’s only going to lead to weirdos hunting down other weirdos. But then again maybe my mind’s been unknowingly warped by many a sensationalist tabloid, to believe the hype that strangers are in fact dangerous when really they’re not…

Who knows. I just miss the days when apps were all about angry birds, shopping for sale stuff and making loads of to-do lists.

Situationist is available for Apple devices for free from the iTunes Store.