Drexel University

Entrepreneurial

A video penpal service for forging new friendships.

The most fundamental human instinct is to connect with others. In this uncertain time of COVID-19, that need for connection is being hampered by the necessities of social distancing. Even after there is a cure or a vaccine for COVID-19, we anticipate that many people will be hesitant about engaging in crowded activities, and that social habits will be altered for a long time, if not permanently. That, combined with the already pervasive political and cultural rifts in our society, highlights the importance of alternative means of connecting with others. Our aim is to alleviate the ‘social’ part of ‘social distancing’ and help to turn it instead into merely physical distancing, by launching a video-based penpals platform.

Our project will create a website for users to match with and send video correspondence to other users. An intelligent matching system, driven by real data, will provide key insights into making meaningful connections between users. We will allow users to create customizable profiles and adjust matching parameters to their preferences. A clean, intuitive user interface will guide users and empower them with creative recording and editing tools. Additionally, a data-driven security system will help ensure users are following legal guidelines and automate detection and flagging where needed.