Pop Culture

Everybody Is Jumping On The Bondee Bandwagon. Maybe You Should, Too.

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Ready to be a Bondee-zen?
BY Acer Batislaong
01.27.2023

From creating digital twins to personalizing virtual rooms, Bondee provides an immersive experience that is as cute as it is entertaining.

Is it just us or have you also been flooded with colorful avatars and curiously looking QR codes on your feeds recently? Friends, family, and even strangers are sending invitations to be their virtual neighbor somewhere—like there’s a massive exodus happening from the physical to digital worlds, again. Remember when Animal Crossing used to be the ultimate pandemic game where we all reveled in our isolation? Well, it seems that the year 2023 is going to be the time where everybody is going full cyber citizens mode in Bondee.

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A BRAND NEW DIGITAL WORLD

Launched in Asia on January 17 by Metadream, an independent Singapore-based tech startup, Bondee is a next-gen social app that aims to redefine the immersive experience in virtual communities. Some of the novel features that you can enjoy in Bondee’s “virtual plaza” include making your own virtual twins that you can tweak countless times to your liking, personalize your own mini space, mingle with your other digital friends, or even have some “me” time if you feel like it.

Bondee poster

Depending on your generation, the new social software might remind you of the simulation and interactive vibe from The Sims and the open-world feels as that of Animal Crossing or Minecraft. One of Bondee’s features that proves to be delightful for many is how they can ace the looks of their virtual selves with the thousands-spanning selection of avatars, hairstyles, clothing, hairstyles, and accessories to choose from. And then there’s your virtual home—a space akin to a condo studio unit—that you can personalize; from the bookshelves and appliances to the wall posters, which you can customize with your own images. 

Guided by the principle, “live with your friends,” Bondee also allows you to invite up to 50 friends in your plaza and engage with them in many ways. You can chat with them via live messaging or express each other’s emotions and feelings via actions or animated emojis to foster rapport, see each other’s statuses and moods anytime whether it be feeling burned out by work or just angsty about life, and add Bondee buddies by either searching their usernames or scanning their profile’s QR codes.

If you’re feeling sentimental then there’s the “floating” feature where Bondee lets you set off and explore the unknown while on your own boat accompanied by the ocean and some relaxing music. While you’re at it, you can also leave messages in drifting bottles, meet new friends, and even win gifts. 

@bondee_ph Bondee, the next hottest social platform.Take your friends, let’s live in Bondee! #Bondee #socialmedia #fyp #metaverse ♬ original sound – Bondee Philippines

While Bondee is now only available in the Asian region, it already is a hit amongst netizens. As of this writing, the free social app still holds the top spot of the most popular app lists on Google Play Store and App Store. It’s also noteworthy that Bondee is a metaverse application, which means it employs some Web3 technologies including blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and non-fungible tokens (NFT).

As stated in its privacy policy, Bondee will soon introduce the blockchain-based wallet feature where you can purchase “B-Beans” and use that currency to buy NFT products (e.g. limited free trial clothes) on the platform for yourself or for your friends. So, if you’re looking for the ideal social app where you can immerse yourself in the said technological features, then Bondee might be the one for you.

THE BONDEE EXPERIENCE

And yes, the trendy Bondee has spread like wildfire online, with netizens and even influencers jumping on the hype train and sharing their Bondee experiences online. Some users note how they’ve spent a whole hour or even skipped their lunch break just to perfect their Bondee rooms.

While some Bondee-zens have really taken the time to make their own spaces fab and comfy, others settle with minimalist, institutional aesthetics. Twitter user @d0gwater, on the other hand, views their virtual home as a representation of their “wealth and mental health.”

Others have used their K-Pop and P-Pop mains as their pegs for their Bondee avatars and their rooms’ interior design. From ENHYPEN to SB19 and BLACKPINK, these stans nail it from the ‘fits down to the wallpapers. 

Meanwhile, other netizens couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between their real and digital selves. 

@oussychan has also made a notable realization: that the Bondee plaza is a depiction of and serves as a commentary on the state of housing in Singapore. “This is so accurate, OMG,” they lament.

Some have also commended Bondee’s effective way of making the Southeast Asian market adopt the Web3 technology. I@0xKhat emphasizes how Bondee is “not so intimidating,” and it’s reasonable and true if you’ll compare it to its other counterparts like Decentraland, The Sandbox, or Cryptovoxels among others. 

If you’re more of an introvert and enjoy spending time by your lonesome, then you’ll surely enjoy the “floating” feature like @waevdoodles_0.

Filipino model LA Aguinaldo is also a certified Bondee-zen. He even shares that like others, his virtual self is much better and productive than the real one. While fashionista photographer Shaira Luna takes on the challenge of recreating Bondee ‘fits in real life and as expected, she’s killing it.

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