Randonautica: Why a random number generator app is getting popular?
Most people worldwide have been stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving them yearning for an outdoor adventure. During such a time, when boredom itself risks being a pandemic, a random number generator app has become quite the sensation. YouTubers, TikTokers, Redditors, etc., have lately been sharing their adventures through the Randonautica app. Here's what it is all about.
What is Randonautica?
Randonautica is an app that generates a random set of coordinates, prompting the user to visit them for a "fun and meaningful adventure." However, according to the app, these coordinates are not entirely random and a "randonauting" adventure is influenced by the user's intent. The app is available on Google Play, the App Store, and on the web.
Randonaut community predates Randonautica
The app was launched in February, but the Randonaut community predates the app. Earlier, the random coordinates were generated with the help of a custom bot on the messaging app Telegram. Joshua Lengfelder—who was part of the group that built the bot—created the Randonautica app.
How did the app become popular?
The app started gaining popularity this summer and blew up after a group of teenagers shared a TikTok video where they found a suitcase that was later confirmed to contain two dead bodies. It's unclear if the teenagers' "intent" was to stumble upon dead bodies, but it set off a chain reaction of social media influencers going off on their own randonauting adventures.
Many have started sharing their own randonauting stories
Not all randonauting stories lead to grim incidents such as finding corpses though. There's an entire subreddit where randonauts describe their intentions before heading off to a randonauting adventure and what they found. So, someone looking to cheer up a friend may land up at their favorite coffee shop, or a small library in the mountains, or it could be something much more spooky.
Randonautica claims users influence their own journeys
According to The Atlantic, the app bases itself on the notion that "your brain can influence a random number generator" which finds its roots in a controversial 1979 research conducted at Princeton. The study concluded that people could use "micro-psychokinesis" to affect machines in small ways, which has been extrapolated to mean that Randonautica users can influence the random number generator through intent.
Is there really a paranormal phenomenon at play?
Lengfelder told The Atlantic that people are bound to find shocking things when millions venture out to search the hidden corners of reality. He also said that many found human remains during the Pokémon Go craze. Maybe there is something paranormal, or maybe people aren't used to stepping outdoors with curious intent. But so long as people are enjoying themselves, does it even matter?
