BuzzFeed is gearing up to launch a new social platform with a focus on fun, creativity, and positivity. According to co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti, the goal is to move away from the addictive, AI-driven algorithms that dominate social media today. Instead of keeping users endlessly scrolling, BuzzFeed’s platform aims to use AI in a way that actually gives people more control over their online experience.
For years, major social platforms have abandoned their responsibility to content and culture, instead handing over control to deep learning algorithms that optimize for one thing: engagement at all costs. The result is a digital world dominated by what I call SNARF — content that thrives on Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention and Fear.
– Jonah Peretti, founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, February 2025
So, BuzzFeed’s new platform aims to be an escape from the algorithm-driven doomscrolling we’re all too familiar with. Instead of AI-curated feeds, it promises quirky, weird, and genuinely joyful content designed to bring fun back to the internet. The idea is to showcase the best of the web through human curation, offering an alternative to the AI-generated noise that floods most social media platforms. Moreover, Peretti sheds light on why the company is stepping into the social media space. He points out how platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook rely heavily on AI algorithms that prioritize engagement over everything else. Instead of real human judgment, these platforms let AI push the kind of content that triggers compulsive reactions.
He basically calls out how creators exaggerate everything to make it seem urgent and life-altering, act like their content is groundbreaking, and stir up anger just to boost engagement. And honestly, I think he’s not wrong, and that’s exactly why many people – myself included – find traditional social media exhausting and, frankly, not worth the time. Still, one can argue that BuzzFeed isn’t exactly innocent of using the same tactics either.
But now, the company, which also owns HuffPost and Tasty, wants to take a different approach. Early sign-ups for BuzzFeed’s social network are already open on its website. However, the big question remains: Will this platform actually offer something different from Facebook or TikTok? And more importantly, will it really “fix” the internet? We’ll just have to wait and see.
