Connate
Adrian Ortega Pedraza
Advances in technology allow us to befriend someone without ever having to meet them. As a result, we feel a sense of loss of interpersonal connection. This is particularly noticeable at the New School. Even though the seven schools share the same buildings and classrooms, the students only socialize within their area of study. Connate, an app that takes its name from the term for existing in a person from birth, was created to break the walls between two strangers by informing the two individuals of each others’ existence after a certain number of times they have crossed paths. After connecting, both would have the ability to either deny or accept their request, giving them or denying full access to their profiles, which may includes photos, portfolio, resumes, or other social platforms, depending on what the user wants to share. Many apps like Happn use this idea of location and crossed paths but, like Tinder and Grinder, aim towards dating. Connate will allow students to increase both professional and personal contacts. In The New School students using this app would have the advantage of knowing as many people in their or other creative fields as possible. The campus, being nontraditional, allows students to encounter students in other majors on a daily basis. The app could also be used not just in a school setting but also in a large company where many of the employees only know the coworkers in their groups, but also see other employees around the office.