Summary of Key Points
Recently, two social apps in the United States that use virtual pigeons to deliver messages have suddenly become very popular—Carrier Pidge and Roost. These apps deliberately make message delivery extremely slow (for example, it can take over ten hours to send a message across cities) and there’s even a 0.2% chance that the message will “get lost.” Despite these challenges, they have gained a huge following among young users, with a total of over 500,000 users. Behind this trend is the youth’s resistance to the “instant response pressure” and “real-time anxiety” associated with instant messaging services like WeChat. By using a “slow” approach, these apps turn waiting into anticipation and provide a polite excuse for not responding immediately. However, this “slow social interaction” also faces challenges such as the loss of novelty and the paradox of commercialization.
Why Have Young People Suddenly Fallen in Love with Such Slow Communication?
Instant messaging services are now too competitive: messages are delivered in just a few seconds, and you can even see that the recipient is “typing.” While this seems convenient, it creates a lot of pressure—you feel the need to respond immediately, or you might worry that the other person thinks you don’t value the conversation. Young people are tired of this feeling of being “held hostage” by technology. These apps precisely target this issue by making it clear that messages don’t have to be answered immediately; instead, it’s more like waiting for a package to be delivered, rather than being anxious about why there’s no response.
The added layer of uncertainty (a 0.2% chance that the pigeon will get lost and the message will disappear) makes the messages even more special, similar to how a handwritten letter can be cherished despite the risk of it being lost. It also gives both parties an excuse: “It’s not that I don’t want to respond; it’s just that the pigeon died.”
How Do These “Pigeon-Messaging” Apps Work?
The two apps have different approaches, but both focus on creating a “slow” and “fun” experience:
1. Carrier Pidge: A Minimalist “Pigeon Experiment”
- How to Send a Message: After adding a friend, each message is attached to a virtual pigeon. The app uses GPS to calculate the distance between you and the recipient and estimates the delivery time based on the pigeon’s speed of 177 kilometers per hour (several seconds for local messages, several days for international messages).
- Intentional Delays: The pigeon’s speed can fluctuate randomly (±25%), and there’s a 0.2% chance that it will die, resulting in the permanent loss of the message (with no possibility of re-sending or backup).
- Social Ritual: The friend list is called the “pigeon flock,” and chat records are stored in a “pigeon coop.” You need to pay to replace a dead pigeon. The developers admit the app has no practical use, but precisely this “uselessness” makes it enjoyable for young users.
2. Roost: An “Avian Social Universe”
- A Variety of Pigeons: You can choose from different types of pigeons, such as gray pigeons, falcons, hummingbirds, or even phoenixes, with their speeds based on real-life species (falcons are the fastest, and snails the slowest). The choice of pigeon is itself a form of expression—what kind of pigeon to use when messaging someone you have a crush on?
- A Engaging Gameplay: You can feed and upgrade your pigeons, train them using a game called “Flappy Pigeon,” and even bathe and groom them (like raising electronic pets). The better you take care of your pigeons, the faster your messages will be delivered.
- The Viral Moment: A post on social media showed a U.S. mother discussing her daughter’s use of Old English on Roost, which led to a surge in users from 10,000 to 100,000 in just three days. Young people find it fun to send messages in a Shakespearean style.
How Is This Slow Social Interaction Different from Previous Ones?
There have been other slow-socialization apps before (like Slowly), but this time the difference is significant:
- **Slowly was more “artistic”: It aimed to connect pen pals around the world, encouraging long, meaningful messages and a collection of stamps, similar to an online correspondence system.
- **This time, it’s more “anti-artistic”: The developers of Carrier Pidge openly admit the app’s lack of practical use, and Roost users often use Old English to send silly messages. Their goal is not to “slow down to reflect on life” but to use humor to counter the pressure of instant messaging.
In short, previous slow-socialization apps were about being “serious” about slowing down, while these new ones are more “fun” and appeal to the Gen Z audience.
Can “Slow” Communication Be a Business Model? Is It Sustainable?
Both apps are trying to generate revenue, but they face several challenges:
- Revenue Models: Carrier Pigee requires users to pay to replace dead pigeons; Roost offers paid subscriptions to unlock rare pigeons and conducts weekly events to retain users.
- The Challenge of Losing Novelty: Social apps rely on a large user base to be successful, but if users lose interest, the apps will quickly lose their popularity.
- The Paradox of Commercialization: Roost’s feature of upgrading pigeons creates new anxieties—users train and upgrade them to get faster delivery, similar to how other apps encourage activity. This “anti-efficiency” approach can be swallowed up by the efficiency-driven logic of the business model.
The irony is that true slowness doesn’t require apps at all; you just need to avoid responding immediately. However, young people use these virtual pigeons as a way to resist the pressure of immediate responses.
The Underlying Social Trend: What Are Young People Rebellious Against?
The popularity of these apps is not accidental; it reflects their resistance to the feeling of being “held hostage” by technology. They use the latest devices (like the iPhone 16) and 5G to experience these slow apps, but their goal is not to oppose technology itself. Instead, they’re against the idea that technology forces them to be constantly online. They use virtual pigeons as a way to say, “I don’t want to be bound by the rule of having to respond instantly.”
This rebellion is also fragile; if the apps become unpopular, the “pigeons” will disappear, and young people will be back to the pressure of instant responses. For now, though, they’ve found a temporary way to turn waiting into anticipation, rather than anxiety.
In Conclusion: Young people are using these “absurdly slow” virtual pigeons to fight against the fast-paced world of instant messaging. It may just be a temporary trend, but it clearly expresses their desire to be in control of their communication: “I don’t want to be controlled by messages; I want to take things slow.”