‘Radical reset’: Uplifty app aims to help university students find connection offline

AdvertisementScienceChinaScience‘Radical reset’: Uplifty app aims to help university students find connection offlinePrivacy is central and its algorithm is designed to build community in the real world rather than ‘exploiting attention’, founder says 3-MIN READ3-MIN1 ListenHolly ChikPublished: 12:32pm, 7 Apr 2026Youth-led movements have swept the world in recent years – from protests that toppled governments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bulgaria and Madagascar, to political rallies across the United States. They are often organised and amplified on social media platforms driven by algorithms that determine content based on user behaviour.But a new app that has been tested by nearly 10,000 university students in the US is challenging that approach.AdvertisementUplifty AI is encrypted and its founder says the algorithm aims to help students build community in the real world rather than “exploiting attention”. It is designed for students to organise and meet at events ranging from climate action protests to beach clean-ups and visits to aged care homes. “We are trying to change everything from the ground up,” says Uplifty AI founder Scott Amyx. Photo: LinkedInFounded by Scott Amyx, the app is billed as a “post-social media cultural response” that lays the groundwork for “a radical reset of the internet”. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x