London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

The Patio App Is Facebook For Gen Z College Kids

The Patio App Is Facebook For Gen Z College Kids

“I don’t think any kid actually uses Facebook now.”

Carolina Janicke is very excited to go to college. “I heard my dorm building is very social, but there are roaches,” the 18-year-old told me. But luckily she’s already got someone to help her fight the University of Michigan pests, a roommate she met on the college student–only app Patio.


Incoming first-year college students are embracing Patio as a way to meet people before school begins, taking away the “Will I make friends?” terror. “You start in this big group chat with everyone in your year, and then there’s subgroups you can join — I’m in the Latinx students one. There’s ones for specific programs, so I’m in the art school subgroup, a restaurant one, and this random one we called the Lettuce Club,” Janicke said. “Every time someone eats lettuce, they share a picture of it with the group.”


A social media platform for college students that you need a school email to sign up for? Correct, this does sound a lot like early Facebook, but there’s no need to deepen the generational disdain even further over it.

TheFacebook was first created by supervillains who originally wanted to provide an online directory for students within Harvard University, after creating the primitive “hot or not”–type site Facemash that served to objectify women.

Patio was founded by students at the University of California, Davis, (future democracy-impacting billionaire status as yet undetermined) who wanted to create a space to connect with others during the pandemic. While it was initially launched for current students, the Patio team told their school newspaper that they wanted to focus on incoming students.

“I don’t think any kid actually uses Facebook now,” said Flynn Goel, another incoming Michigan student. He is coming from out of state, so Patio has been the most accessible tool for him to meet people and question locals about what to expect. “I’ve asked what the dining halls are like, the quality of the food.”

“I liked Patio because I know I’ll get an answer in a few minutes, since there are so many people on there,” he told me. “Especially since I’ll be pretty far away from home.”

The infrastructure of a Patio account is highly reminiscent of a dating profile. You can put up to six pictures of yourself, followed by space for a bio, social media handles, as well as interests. After all, these students are searching for something much more serious than romance — college roommates often end up being lifelong friends.

“It definitely feels like Tinder or something,” Janicke said.


I used my old college email address to register, where I was put into the University of Michigan class of 2026 group chat, which has almost 3,000 members. In the large chat, and the subsequent breakout chats, you are able to see an online directory of your peers.

Poking around Patio, I was able to search students by interest, but I was told by Janicke it is not the appropriate etiquette to just DM someone who also likes cycling.


Josh Freedman, 18, said he’s already met up with several other admitted students IRL from Patio. (He’s another incoming Michigan student, since of course that’s who I could speak with.)

“It took away the element of feeling like you don’t know anyone,” he said. “I’ve already formed friendships with people, from all over, who I know I’ll want to hang out with on campus.”

At first, the Patio convo is a huge group chat, with people introducing themselves. Then, they break down into smaller groups of people in the same dorms or who share common interests.

Snapchat, according to Freedman and Janicke, was the most common off-platform app to move next to. “It feels more low stakes,” Janicke said. “Also, I don’t know, maybe it’s easier to figure out if someone is a catfish?”

But figuring out how to write a Patio bio and post photos that represent the kind of person you are — or want to be in your new college life — isn’t easy.

“I chose a good portrait photo of me first, and then a photo of me running at a cross-country race, because I wanted people to know I like sports and staying fit,” Freedman said. “Then another one with my friends so people would know I’m outgoing and I love to meet new people, and hanging out with friends. So there’s no apprehension about reaching out.”


The general advice that the students offered to me was that the last photo should feature a blurry, mid-laughter mirror selfie or appropriately awkward expression to show that you are funny and have a personality.

The bios on Patio are also written with a tentative clumsiness of trying to find common ground. Students state their major and some of their interests. “I love cars, shoes and photography,” Janicke’s bio reads. “If you wanna be friends just ask me about my two dogs.”

Online friends are a norm in the age of repeated social isolation, so Patio providing a space to chat and bond is at least helping these incoming first-years feel comfortable moving away from home.

“I’m not nervous at all,” Janicke said. “I’m gonna miss my parents, but I know I’ll be fine.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×