Friendster: The OG social network, explained for today's internet users

Those who had been on the internet in the 2000s would know: Friendster walked so Facebook could run.

Now in the big year of 2026, Friendster made a comeback, shocking millennials with some unexpected nostalgia.

If you young'uns are confused, here's a primer on the internet's original social network.

1. It existed before your feeds were algorithmic.

Founded by Jonathan Abrams, Friendster launched in 2002, years before Facebook and long before TikTok. There was no "For You" page, just people you chose to connect with.

Although not the first social media site in existence, it became the most dominant one for some time, helping lay the groundwork for today's social media landscape.

Friendster was originally based in California, but found great popularity in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.

2. Your profile was your personality.

Friendster used to revolve around profiles, using it as a means to introduce, express, and present yourself. 

It displayed bios, interests, testimonials, and even allowed background music, allowing users to curate their identity.

3. Testimonials were the original comments section.

During the Friendster days, friends were able to leave public messages on one's profile. Called "testimonials," these messages were the OG comments — or maybe it's closer to restaurant reviews?

Aside from boosting your rep, it also allowed friends to post inside jokes for others to see, a visible record of friendship. With networking as Friendster's main drive, showing off connections was a thing users naturally tended to do.

4. 'Top Friends' stirred up drama.

That said, the people you knew doubled as a form of social currency on Friendster.

The site took to heart the quote, "Tell me who your friends are, and we'll tell you who you are," allowing users to publicly rank and display their friends on their profiles.

No doubt it became a source of grudges.

5. It pivoted then dipped.

At the peak of its popularity, Friendster reached 115 million registered users.

In 2011, Friendster shifted from a social network to a gaming site, which offered dozens of games.

However, its competitors, MySpace and Facebook, eventually surpassed it, leading to its shutdown in 2015.

6. Its return signals another digital landscape shift.

Friendster on Thursday became available again on Apple devices. Its 2026 version promises a simpler and more straightforward experience: no ads, no algorithms, no spam. Friends only.

This might appeal to those who have tired of the content overload, the influencer-dominated spaces, the loud bots and trolls.

It's not the first platform to make a comeback for the same reason.

Late last year, Vine — which walked so TikTok could run — made a comeback after its shutdown in 2017. The iconic video sharing platform said that there's a nostalgia for the "early Web 2.0 era, for the blogging era, for the era that gave us podcasting, the era that you were building communities, instead of just gaming the algorithm."

Friendster is available to download for free on iOS. —JCB, GMA News