Why We Built CuratFeed: The Case for Paid Social Media
Social media is broken. Not the technology — the business model.
When a platform makes money by selling your attention to advertisers, every single design decision gets filtered through one question: "Will this keep people scrolling longer?" The answer shapes everything — the infinite scroll, the autoplay videos, the outrage-optimized algorithm, the push notifications begging you to come back.
This is why 68% of social media users report feeling worse after using these platforms. It's not a bug. It's the business model working exactly as designed.
The Advertising Trap
Free social media platforms face an irreconcilable conflict of interest. Their customers are advertisers, not users. When these interests collide — and they always do — advertisers win.
This means: - Your feed is optimized for engagement, not enjoyment. Content that makes you angry keeps you scrolling longer than content that informs you. - Your data is the product. Every click, scroll, and pause builds an advertising profile that gets sold to the highest bidder. - There's no incentive to let you leave. The longer you stay, the more ads they serve. An app that respects your time is an app that makes less money.
A Different Business Model
CuratFeed costs $20 per month. That's the entire business model.
No ads. No data selling. No sponsored posts. No tracking pixels. No engagement manipulation. When you pay for the product, you become the customer — and suddenly, every design decision aligns with your interests instead of working against them.
We succeed when you have a great 10-minute experience and close the app feeling informed and satisfied. Not when you lose two hours in an anxiety-inducing scroll spiral.
What $20 Buys You
Every subscription dollar is split transparently: - 60% goes to creators through three pools: Fan Allocation, Top Rewards, and Community Grants - 40% covers platform operations — hosting, moderation, development, and keeping the lights on
No hidden revenue streams. No venture capital subsidies that demand infinite growth. Just a sustainable business that works for everyone.
The 60-Item Feed
Instead of an infinite, algorithmically-manipulated stream, CuratFeed gives you exactly 60 items per day. This isn't a limitation — it's the core product.
Sixty items is enough to stay informed about the topics and people you care about. It's enough to discover something new. And it's finite enough that you can reach the end, close the app, and go live your life.
Reading any post or article is always free and unlimited — the 60-item limit applies only to your daily discovery feed. This means you'll spend about 10 minutes browsing, then as long as you want actually reading.
Why Now?
People are tired. The average person spends 2 hours and 31 minutes per day on social media, and most of them know it's not making their life better. The "digital wellness" movement is growing. Screen time apps and social media detox programs are booming.
But we think the solution isn't to quit social media — it's to fix it. The internet at its best connects people to ideas, perspectives, and communities that make their lives richer. CuratFeed is our attempt to build that better version.
Join Us
We're building CuratFeed for the people who love the internet but hate what social media has become. Writers who want to be read for their ideas, not their ability to game an algorithm. Readers who want to discover quality content without wading through ads and engagement bait.
The first 1,000 members get free lifetime access. Not a trial. Not a limited version. Full, permanent access — our way of saying thanks for believing in this vision early.
Your attention is worth more than ads.