Social media today is characterised by endless personalisation and algorithms designed to maximise engagement. For many users, the most important relationships are buried under layers of influencers and advertisements.
Timeline, a new social network launched by ParkLane Studios, was designed to solve this by quieting the noise and making the mobile experience feel intimate again.
The platform focuses on an inner circle of five to ten people rather than a massive network of followers. Created on the concept of “friends, not followers,” the app allows users to connect only with people whose phone numbers they already have. This creates an intimate, private space where content is shared intentionally with those who truly matter.
A feed centred on real relationships
Unlike traditional social media apps, Timeline contains no algorithms. The feed is a simple, reverse-chronological display of what your friends are doing, the music they are listening to, and the movies they are watching. It also allows users to share books they are reading and their general thoughts, providing a digital version of how friends interact in real life.
The goal is to provide a social network without the noise, specifically targeting Gen Z and early-career professionals seeking digital intimacy.
Built by Nigerians in Nigeria
Founded in 2025, Timeline was developed by a group of five friends based in Nigeria who believe the internet has become too loud. The project was born from the idea that users need to hear their friends amongst the constant digital clamour.
The team at ParkLane Studios that developed the app includes:
- Rue Douglas, Product design
- Kester Atakere, Engineering
- Jahtofunmi Osho, Engineering
- Titilayo Duyile, Product design
- Oyinkansola Adegoke, Product
In a series of statements, various members of the founding team shared the ‘why’ behind building Timeline: to strengthen the relationships that matter most.
Rue Douglas, who designed the Timeline app, noted that many platforms push users to perform for an invisible audience, which changes how they show up. For Rue Douglas, sharing with people who matter leads to honesty and closeness. Timeline allows for this. Kester Atakere, one of the app’s software engineers, shared similar sentiments. He explained that as the app is built around close friends rather than broad audiences, it is easier to stay present in each other’s everyday lives without an algorithm deciding what matters.
Another engineer in the founding team, Jahtofunmi Osho, values the resolved friction of staying in the loop, because “knowing a friend has finished a book or started a new show makes it easier to kickstart an interesting conversation”. For Titilayo Duyile, shared inspirations and challenges are ‘threads that hold relationships together’, and she hopes Timeline becomes a pressure-free space that bridges the distance between friends by offering a casual and honest glimpse into their lives.
Oyinkansola Adegoke values how the app allows friends to show up regularly and stay present in each other’s lives through shared songs, pictures, and books.
By fostering intimacy through a close-knit digital space, Timeline aims to amplify real network connections and help users focus on the five to ten people who matter most. According to the Timeline team,> 30% of users have streaks > 20 days. The app is available to download on the App Store.
