Take a Gander at Gander — The Social App That Doesn’t Weaponize Your Feed

I don’t know about you, but most days social media feels like a never-ending bar fight where the jukebox is stuck on “Why Are People Like This?” It’s loud, it’s messy, and somehow the algorithm keeps pushing the table-flipping guy to the top of the feed.

So imagine my delight when I heard about Gander — a made-in-Canada social platform for Canadians that’s just entered early access. Gander is being built with a totally different flight path in mind: one where curiosity, community, and decency aren’t just buzzwords, but baked into the design.

Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s happening. And yes, I’m already honking about it.

The name Gander is a nod to two proudly Canadian things:

1. The town of Gander, Newfoundland — known for its remarkable hospitality during 9/11.

2. And of course, Canada geese, those stubborn, communal, loud-mouthed birds we all love, fear, and begrudgingly admire.

Like its namesakes, Gander is all about showing up, sticking together, and making noise for the right reasons.

Rather than pump up rage-posts and controversy clickbait, Gander ditches the algorithms entirely. What you see is shaped by your choices, not some invisible AI trying to keep you scrolling through a spiral of despair. It’s social media with actual social values.

It’s still early days — Gander is in early access mode, which means it’s not the full flock yet. But that’s actually the perfect time to get involved. There’s something incredibly refreshing about stepping into a digital space that’s being built with care, not just mined for clicks.

You can read more about how Gander got its wings here — it’s a lovely story about people who wanted to do something better than doomscrolling and performative hot takes.

So here’s your invitation: take a gander at Gander.

Try it out by joining the early access group. Explore. Be part of shaping a space that reflects what so many of us have been longing for — connection without chaos, discourse without division, and community without constant conflict.

Let’s help this goose take flight.

P.S. If you get early access, honk if you see me. I’ll be the one happily scrolling without an existential crisis.