“Do you miss the old internet?” That’s the first question you encounter on the website for Perfectly Imperfect, a culture newsletter turned social networking experiment that’s finding traction among digital natives searching for something beyond Instagram, TikTok, or X.
Founded in 2020 by Tyler Bainbridge, a former Meta engineer, and Alex Cushing, Perfectly Imperfect (known as PI) started as a quirky newsletter spotlighting cultural icons and interviewing downtown New York creatives, including stars like Charli XCX and Lorde. Four years later, it’s evolved into an app PI.FYI that feels less like today’s algorithm-driven feeds and more like a throwback to Tumblr, MySpace, or the pre-Elon Musk version of Twitter.
Reimagining the Old Internet
At its core, PI is trying to capture what Bainbridge describes as the “feeling of the early internet” a time when online spaces were more about genuine human connection than optimizing for engagement metrics.
“When it felt like the goal was to bring people together and the content that people were sharing was purely driven by a need to connect,” Bainbridge told Local press.
The PI app reflects that philosophy. The feed is dominated by user recommendations (“recs”) whether it’s a new song, a movie worth watching, or life advice. The atmosphere feels community-driven, less polished than Instagram, and more creative than LinkedIn. Usernames are often pseudonymous, harkening back to the playful blog handles of early Tumblr.
Customization is also central. Just like MySpace or early Tumblr pages, PI profiles can be uniquely tailored reinforcing the idea that online identity should be expressive rather than standardized.
Even its DNA has Tumblr’s fingerprints: one of PI’s advisors, Jacob Bijani, was the fifth employee at Tumblr, ensuring the platform draws inspiration from one of the internet’s most beloved creative communities.
The Rise of the “Social Magazine”
Bainbridge calls PI a “social magazine.” It straddles the line between editorial culture writing and participatory social networking, where user-generated content blends seamlessly with curated cultural commentary.
This hybrid format resonates with audiences disillusioned by traditional social networks. While TikTok dominates virality, and Instagram refines lifestyle content, PI positions itself as a third space one where recommendations, cultural discovery, and real conversations coexist.
The strategy seems to be working. The Perfectly Imperfect newsletter now boasts 140,000 subscribers, and about 74,000 have migrated into the app. Originally launched on Substack, PI left the platform in 2024 to operate its newsletter in-house, signaling a push for independence.
A Business Model Beyond Ads
While many social networks rely heavily on ad revenue, Bainbridge is intentionally steering PI in another direction.
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Paid subscriptions: For $6 per month, users unlock advanced customization options, access to the full newsletter archive, and exclusive content. As of July, roughly 2,000 users are paying subscribers.
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Brand partnerships: PI has collaborated with companies like Hinge, producing guides about human connection and awkwardness as part of the dating app’s One More Hour campaign.
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Advertising but not on the app: While the newsletter includes ads, Bainbridge insists that the PI app will remain ad-free, arguing that intrusive ads would undermine the user experience.
With this approach, PI is aligning itself with a growing wave of alternative social platforms that prioritize user culture and community over traditional advertising models.
From Online to Real-World Connections
One of the most fascinating evolutions of PI is how it has begun to blur the line between online sharing and real-world experiences.
Earlier this year, PI introduced a feature allowing users to signal whether they were single and what kind of connections they were looking for. This sparked a wave of dating stories emerging organically from the platform, where shared music and film tastes became icebreakers for new relationships.
The platform soon expanded into events and meetups. Users can now share concerts, art workshops, or casual hangouts to the public feed. PI itself has started organizing events, such as a bowling night in Brooklyn sponsored by Hinge.
This move positions PI closer to a modern reinvention of Facebook Events mixed with Reddit’s niche communities, giving it both discovery and intimacy. Later this year, PI plans to launch private groups and communities, further deepening user engagement.
With only three full-time staffers and five part-time contractors, PI remains a lean operation, but Bainbridge has confirmed the company has raised funding to expand into video, hire more staff, and scale the app.
The goal for 2025? Reach one million users. Bainbridge believes the growth will come from “product-oriented features” like events, community-building tools, and personalization that capture users tired of algorithm-heavy social feeds.
Perfectly Imperfect represents part of a new wave of human-centered social apps, designed not to dominate attention but to foster connection, culture, and creativity. Whether it will emerge as the next BeReal, Clubhouse, or something longer-lasting remains to be seen but it’s carving out a nostalgic, yet refreshing space in today’s digital landscape.
