Randonautica

Randonautica (a portmanteau of "random" + "nautica") is an app launched on February 22, 2020 founded by Joshua Lengfelder (/lænɡfældɛr/). It randomly generates coordinates that enable the user to explore their local area and report on their findings. According to its creators, the app is "an attractor of strange things," letting one choose specific coordinates based on a certain theme.[3] It has gained controversy after several reports on the app generating coordinates, seemingly coincidentally, where disturbing things were present.

Randonautica
The logo, featuring an owl, which is a reference to an experiment called OWL-Experiment, and has relations with the frequency illusion.[2]
Initial releaseFebruary 22, 2020
Stable release
v. 2.1.15 (Android), v. 6.0.0 (iOS)
Operating systemiOS
Android
Browser
Available inEnglish
TypeGeographic coordinate system

Overview

The app, which creators claim to be inspired by chaos theory and Guy Debord's Theory of the Derive,[4] offers its users three types of coordinates to choose from: an attractor, a void, or an anomaly.[5] The app has a cult following on YouTube and TikTok and there is a subreddit made by the creators for users of the app.[5]

History

29-year-old circus performer Joshua Lengfelder discovered a bot called Fatum Project in a fringe science chat group on Telegram in January 2019. According to The New York Times, "He absorbed the project’s theories about how random exploration could break people out of their predetermined realities, and how people could influence random outcomes with their minds." Lengfelder then created a Telegram bot using Fatum Project's code, generating coordinates. He then created the subreddit r/randonauts in March. In October, developer Simon Nishi McCorkindale made the bot's webpage.[6]

With the help of Auburn Salcedo, chief executive of a TV agency, both created Randonauts LLC. Salcedo became to chief operating officer while Lengfelder is the CEO. The app, called Randonautica, was launched on February 22, 2020.[6]

Reception

The app has as many as 190.8 million users as of July 2020,[6] gaining popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States as restrictions have been lightened.[7] Emma Chamberlain made a YouTube video about the app that helped increase its following.[4] i-D reported that the hashtag #randonautica has gained 176.5 million views on TikTok,[8] although it has not marketed itself yet.[9]

Controversy

"When you’re sending millions of people to random locations and searching the hidden corners of reality, you’re bound to find some pretty shocking stuff sometimes. It’s not the best press, but I’m not really that upset about it, because it’s kind of cool. I kind of wish it was me who found it."

- Joshua Lengfelder, founder of Randonautica, in response to the controversial video.

With the app's popularity users started reporting coincidences which many find unsettling. The majority of reports were from TikTok and Reddit.[10]

The most trending controversy involves a group of people heading to a beach in Duwamish Head, Puget Sound, West Seattle per the app, where they found a bag with two dead bodies, 27 and 36, male and female, as reported by the Seattle Police homicide detectives.[11][12] As of June 30, the investigation is still ongoing.[12] This has caused speculation that the app has an intended, puzzle-like theme, however Lengfelder stated that it is "a shocking coincidence."[9] Salcedo called the videos fake, and that "It’s so hard to manage, because people are really taking creative liberties after seeing how much traction the app is getting in that fear factor."[6]

In their questions page, Randonautica's creators have said that if the app generates coordinates inside a private property, it is a violation of their terms and conditions to trespass. In addition, Randonautica has also received allegations that the app is used for human trafficking, which its creators have denied, saying that data collected by the app are anonymous. It also ensured that the app is in not designed to violate religious customs, saying that "the app is simply a tool. Just as a knife can be used either to prepare dinner or to cut somebody."[13]

See also

References

  1. "Got Questions?". www.randonautica.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  2. "Got Questions?". www.randonautica.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  3. "The App of the Summer Is Just a Random-Number Generator". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  4. "How Does Randonautica Work? The Creepy, TikTok Famous App Can Help You Realize Intentions". Bustle. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  5. "Randonautica explained: what it is and how to use it". Pocket Tactics. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. Wilson, Lena (July 31, 2020). "What Is Randonautica Really About?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  7. "Teens Find Body in Suitcase on Beach While Using Random Geographic Explorer App". Inside Edition. June 22, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. Schofield, Daisy (July 1, 2020). "Randonauting: The random coordinates app leading TikTok users to dead bodies". i-D. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  9. Lampen, Claire (July 2, 2020). "A Mystical, TikTok-Famous App Led Teens to a Dead Body". The Cut. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  10. Emanuel, Daniella. "19 Really Freaky Coincidences People Have Experienced While Using Randonautica". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  11. Tiffany, Kaitlyn (July 21, 2020). "The App of the Summer Is Just a Random-Number Generator". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  12. "Detectives Investigating After Human Remains Found in West Seattle". spdblotter.seattle.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  13. "Got Questions?". www.randonautica.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
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