Minutiae: daily photography “uncurated, unfiltered, unfollowed.”

I recently stumbled upon Minutiae, a photo-centric app that brilliantly flips social media norms on their head. This is different and more radical than BeReal and the likes, which, in my view, have failed to deliver as genuine counterparts to social media apps like Instagram. Labeling itself as “an anonymous anti-social media app that forces its users to document the in-between moments of life,” it has quickly become a project I’m genuinely hooked on, although I’ve used the app for a grand total of 2 minutes over the last week. That’s actually the point.

First, it’s an app with a mission: “To craft an unvarnished, lasting self-portrait of your life while building a collective portrait of society.” No about page, but a manifesto instead. Excerpts: “Minutiae does not provide instant gratification." Finally! “Minutiae is not interested in your data.” Amen! “Minutiae is life, Real life. Uncurated. Unfiltered. Unfollowed.” Ok, sign me up already.

So, how does it work? Once a day, all participants receive an alert to take a picture within five seconds. There’s no time for retakes, no filters to finesse the image, and the photo never lands in your camera roll. You then get matched with a stranger, sharing one moment of authentic life with one another. And that’s it. Simple, straightforward, effective.

It’s been around for seven years, and I found myself wishing I had discovered Minutiae earlier, back when Instagram fatigue began to creep in and I eventually jumped ship a couple years ago. Now, I tried a few alternatives since, but it’s the first app I’m genuinely attached to, even though it demands mere seconds of my day. No, wait: I’m attached because it demands mere seconds of my day and even refuses that I give it more than that. This is precisely what many of us want—a platform that doesn’t feed on our time and data, but instead fosters genuine creativity, forcing us to notice what’s already around us without the interference of algorithmic curation or fictitious gratification.

I certainly won’t blame the people behind Minutiae for trying to make a buck from a good idea: finish a year of this daily practice, and you can order a book containing all your moments. I haven’t decided if I’ll pick up this memento, but I appreciate that the product they offer is paper, not pixels. I also appreciate that they don’t force this on you at all.

Finally, I love that I can’t even tell you to follow me on there, that’s just not possible and that is the point. Maybe I’ll be matched to one of you there for one moment, I wouldn’t even be able to tell, and that would be just perfect.