BOND

Living through modern times can feel lonelier than ever. With all the violence and division amongst ourselves, we need to return to our roots. Human connection, anonymous and real. Simple as that.

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Inspiration

With the rise of social media, and especially in recent years, information and opinions get shared faster than ever. Much of which is misleading, harmful, and biased. Millions of people a day are one scroll, one tap away from seeing a barrage of horrific news, footage, and hatred. Humans were never wired to be this way, to fill their heads with disdain and contempt for each other. We have desperately needed an outlet to be emotional, honest, and connect with each other, to remember we are all human at the end of the day. BOND is built off that belief, which is of utmost importance in modern times.

What it does

BOND is an interactive map that allows users to create "feeling" points all over the world. All posts are anonymous, so everyone has an equal voice, an equal mark on the map. Upon clicking on someone else's feeling, users can show their support, reach out, and converse with the anonymous author from anywhere in the world. To prevent hateful remarks, users can also collectively report and delete thread messages deemed inappropriate for the guidelines of BOND. Also, If a certain location has many people creating feelings, the collective area will glow with a "BOND" that shows the increased activity in the area, either purely from population density or from users all around the world showing solidarity or compassion towards an event. This allows users to finally get real, raw connection with others, showing compassion, love, and connection to anybody, from anywhere on Earth.

How I built it

As a one-person team, I had to balance being as involved in the hackathon events as I could be while also building this app, and as a result, it's built with nothing fancy, just pure HTML and CSS. It uses leaflet, which is an open-source JavaScript library for user-friendly interactive maps, and its heat-map libraries to help form the "bonds" that give the app it's wonderful name. Other than that, it simply uses HTML elements to give the user some directions, store text, and make pins to share feelings!

Challenges I ran into

This was my first time working with HTML/CSS. I am by no means a web developer, or even that much of a developer at all for that matter, being a MEEN major. But I wanted to challenge myself, and challenge is what I got. All my time at Fondren spent figuring out what div I didn't close or why my click listener wasn't working for 3 hours. (Yes, 3 hours was spent figuring out how to make something happen on a click). It all payed off, though, and I am very happy with my progress as a programmer at my first hackathon. Additionally, not sleeping for a couple days happens to take a toll on the mind.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Being a solo team, at my first hackathon, and not even being a computer science major or anything related, and still being able to come up with a product I can show off is really something I feel proud of. The sleepless nights typing away payed off, both in fun, learning experiences with the MLH/HackRice team and personal development in making something as a one-person army.

What I learned

I learned the basics of HTML/CSS, how to form ideas for concepts that I want to see reflected in the world and make them into reality, and how fun/rewarding hackathons can be when you apply yourself. Making solutions yourself rather than hoping someone else feels the same way you do is a world of difference.

What's next for BOND

If it were to grow into a full application, I think it could really help many that feel alone out there. Despite the instant connection we get with the internet, it's very easy to get stranded, and feel like no one hears your voice. BOND changes that, and shows that just one feeling, one pin in a huge sea of others, can be a beacon of support for people who care, and want to see you win.

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