The
Glossary.
Key terms and concepts that define noalgo.me and the algorithm-free social movement.
Algorithm-Free
An algorithm-free social platform is one that does not use ranking algorithms to sort, filter, or recommend content. On noalgo.me, your feed is never reshuffled by an AI trying to maximize your screen time — what you see is exactly what your friends posted, in the order they posted it. This is the core of an algorithm-free experience.
Chronological Feed
A chronological feed displays posts strictly in the order they were created, newest first, with no reordering or injection by a recommendation engine. Unlike a "For You" page, a chronological feed has no viral mechanics and shows you everything from the people you've connected with — nothing hidden, nothing promoted.
QR Handshake
The QR Handshake is noalgo.me's in-person connection method: to become friends, two people must meet face to face and scan each other's unique QR code. This physical requirement means connections are always verified by real-world presence, making it impossible for strangers, bots, or predators to send unsolicited friend requests.
Digital Handshake
The Digital Handshake is the verified connection that results from a QR Handshake. Once two people scan each other's QR codes in person, a Digital Handshake links their accounts and grants mutual access to posts, events, and profiles. Every connection on noalgo.me is backed by a Digital Handshake — there is no other way to connect.
Verified Connection
A verified connection is a friendship on noalgo.me that has been authenticated through a real-world QR Handshake. Because every connection requires physical presence, your network is 100% verified — there are no stranger requests, no shadow followers, and no public profiles. Verified connections are the foundation of the platform's privacy and safety model.
Privacy-First
A privacy-first social platform designs every feature around protecting user data rather than exploiting it. On noalgo.me, this means no public profiles, no algorithmic tracking, content visible only to verified friends, and full data deletion on demand. Privacy is the default, not a setting you have to find.
Attention Economy
The attention economy is the business model where platforms compete to capture and hold your attention so they can sell it to advertisers. Algorithmic feeds, infinite scroll, and push notifications are all tools of the attention economy. noalgo.me rejects this model entirely — there are no algorithms, no ads, and no engagement-maximizing mechanics.
For You Page
A "For You" page is an algorithmically curated feed that recommends content from people you don't follow, designed to keep you scrolling. noalgo.me has no For You page — there is no Discover tab, no recommended posts, and no content from strangers. You only ever see posts from your verified friends, in chronological order.