The Sonder Manifesto

We believe in the value of quiet existence.

Not every moment needs to be documented for an audience. Not every feeling needs to be monetized into content. Not every observation needs to go viral to matter.

We believe performance culture is exhausting.

The pressure to curate, optimize, and broadcast a highlight reel of your life is not liberation—it's labor. You are tired. We see that.

We believe in witnessing, not judging.

There is no leaderboard here. No follower counts. No metrics that tell you whether you're doing this right. Someone sees you. That is enough.

We believe you are more than your output.

Your worth is not measured in engagement, productivity, or influence. You exist. That is inherently meaningful, even on days when it doesn't feel like it.

We believe in boundaries as kindness.

This platform will not demand your attention, optimize for your addiction, or guilt you into staying. You can leave when you need to. You can return when you want to. There is no streak to maintain.

This is not therapy.

We do not fix you. We do not offer solutions. We do not interpret your feelings or tell you how to feel better. If you are in crisis, we will connect you with people who can help—but we are not those people.

This is not a self-improvement platform.

There are no challenges here. No productivity hacks. No morning routines. No journaling prompts designed to unlock your potential. You are not a project to be optimized.

This is not a social network.

You will not build an audience here. You will not gain followers. You will not go viral. There is no algorithm promoting you, no discovery page featuring you, no metrics tracking your growth. Your voice matters, but it does not need to be loud to matter.

This is not for everyone.

If you are looking for motivation, inspiration, or a community to push you forward—this is not your place. If you are looking to be seen without being told what to do about it—you're home.

You leave traces.

Brief observations. Quiet thoughts. Moments of existence that would otherwise disappear. You are not crafting posts for an audience. You are marking that you were here.

Others witness you.

Three ways: seen (I acknowledge this), felt (this resonated), same (I've been here too). Not to agree or disagree. Not to start a conversation. Simply to say: I see you.

No one keeps score.

You will never know how many people witnessed your trace. You will only know that someone did. The act of witnessing is not currency. It does not accumulate. It simply happens.

You are anonymous by default.

Your presence here is not tied to your identity, your reputation, or your history. You are not building a personal brand. You are just a shape, a color, a presence in a shared space.

We refuse to optimize for engagement.

We don't optimize for engagement. We don't sell your attention. The feed is chronological, not algorithmic; it's designed for witnessing, not doom-scrolling.

If you spend less time here, we consider that success. If you post less frequently, we do not nudge you to return. We will never send you notifications designed to pull you back. Healthy use looks like moderation, not obsession.

We refuse to sell your attention.

There are no ads here. Your data is not our product. We do not track you across the internet. We do not build profiles to predict your behavior. You are not a metric.

We refuse growth at all costs.

We will not go viral. We will not scale recklessly. We will not compromise the integrity of this space to attract more users. If this remains small, niche, and quiet—that is success.

We refuse to demand positivity.

You are allowed to feel numb. You are allowed to feel futile. You are allowed to feel like you're going through the motions. This is not toxic positivity headquarters. You do not need to reframe your pain into productivity.

We refuse to profit from your pain.

We will find a way to sustain this platform that does not exploit your vulnerability. If that means staying small, we stay small. If that means shutting down, we shut down. We will not become what we critique.

We will protect your privacy.

Your traces are encrypted. Your email is stored securely. We collect only what is necessary. We will never sell your data. If there is a breach, we will tell you immediately.

We will intervene in crisis.

If you post something that suggests you are in immediate danger, we will respond. We will connect you with resources. We will not ignore you. But we are not equipped to be your therapist, and we will be honest about that.

We will moderate with care.

We will remove content that causes direct harm. We will not remove content just because it's dark, difficult, or uncomfortable. We trust you to know what you need to express. We will protect the community without sanitizing it.

We will be transparent.

If we make a mistake, we will admit it. If we change something, we will tell you why. If we add a feature, we will explain how it serves the mission. You deserve to know what's happening in your space.

We will let you leave.

There is no lock-in here. You can export your data. You can delete your account. You can take breaks. You can return. We will not guilt you, beg you, or manipulate you into staying. If this stops serving you, leave.

Be honest, but not harmful.

You can say you're struggling. You can say you're numb. You can say you feel invisible. You cannot harass others. You cannot spread hate. You cannot incite harm.

Witness others without fixing them.

When you see someone else's trace, you do not need to offer advice. You do not need to tell them it gets better. You just need to acknowledge: I saw this. That is enough.

Use this space, don't depend on it.

This is a resting place, not a cage. If this becomes your only form of connection, something is wrong. We are not a replacement for real relationships, therapy, or community. We are a supplement.

Tell us when we're failing.

If this platform starts to feel like every other platform—performative, exhausting, exploitative—tell us. We cannot see everything. We need you to hold us accountable.