Gander Social

@gandersocial.ca

7671 Followers 214 Following

The social media you want. Built for Canada. Fun, private, and ethical. We're changing the way social media is done around here, all without your data taking an unexpected trip south. Built on AT Proto. https://gandersocial.ca

Graphic with black text on a light background beside a red folding camp chair. The text reads: “However you’re spending Canada Day, essaie de pas scroller Gander. Si tu peux, take it easy today. Va voir ton monde. We’ll still be here le 2 juillet.” A red heart and the Gander logo appear near the bottom.
Graphic with the words “Come on in. There’s a seat for everyone.” above a row of colourful folding camp chairs. A red chair in front has the Gander logo on it. Text below reads, “Socials that’ll make you smile.”
Screenshot of the Gander app home feed with the “Settings · On Gander” option circled in red.
Minimalist editorial-style graphic featuring the statement “Platforms should only collect the data they actually need.” in bold black typography on a light grey background with a clean, modern editorial layout.
Minimalist editorial-style graphic featuring the statement “The safest sensitive data is data a platform never collects.” in bold black typography on a light grey background with generous white space.
Texte blanc indiquant « Les réseaux sociaux devraient fonctionner pour tout le monde. » sur un fond rouge uni.
White text reading “Social should work for everyone.” centred on a solid red background.
Minimalist editorial-style graphic featuring the statement “Protecting children online should not require mass surveillance.” in bold black typography on a light grey background with a clean, editorial layout.
Texte blanc indiquant « Les réseaux sociaux devraient fonctionner pour tout le monde. » sur un fond rouge uni.
White text reading “Social should work for everyone.” centred on a solid red background.
Minimalist roadmap card with bold black typography listing recently released Gander features including French language UI, GIF support, Discovery Cards, Sponsored Feed capabilities, and OTP via SMS.
A minimalist graphic featuring the text “Privacy and safety should advance together.” in large bold black type on a light grey background. The layout uses ample white space and an editorial-style design.
A video featuring Gander COO Jen Mitchell discussing the platform’s Human Check verification approach. The video explains why Gander is implementing verification through Canada Post and institutional email to help reduce bots, fake accounts, and bad actors while keeping personal ID data out of Gander’s hands.
Black BetaKit Most Ambitious graphic naming Gander Social, based in Ottawa, Ontario, as a 2026 honouree. Presented by Uber, DMZ, and National Bank of Canada.
Video clip of Gander COO Jen Mitchell speaking on a video call in front of large bookshelves, discussing the development of Gander’s moderation policies and community guidelines. Bold on-screen caption reads: “AND THAT WAS”.
A black card partially tucked into a tan envelope against a light background. The card features the white Gander logo in bold lowercase lettering. Minimalist composition with soft shadows and lots of open space.
Minimalist gratitude graphic for Gander featuring the Gander logo and the word “Gratitude” at the top, large centered text reading “Thank you, beta testers.” with a red heart icon beneath it, followed by the line “For helping shape a better community.” Black-and-white illustrated Canada geese fly along the bottom and sides of the composition on a light grey background.
A Gander Social interface mockup showing a smartphone displaying a news article preview with publisher reputation and political bias labels. Text beside the phone explains that users can see where stories come from, understand sources at a glance, and view credibility and bias information before sharing or engaging with news content.
Smartphone mockup showing a post from This Hour Has 22 Minutes on Gander. Beside the phone, large text reads: “22 Minutes is on Gander. Because your uncle’s Facebook comments got out of hand.” Minimal black typography on a light-grey background.
Board: Gander’s Boards feature displayed on a phone with saved collections for recipes, family, dogs, and memes. Text reads: “Board. A place to pin recipes you’ll totally never make.”
A smartphone mockup shows the Gander app open to a feed. At the top, the Gander logo sits above tabs for “Feeds” and “Following.” A post from a person in Ottawa features a photo of saucy chicken wings being picked up with forks. On the right side of the image, bold text reads “Chrono.” with the line “Because your feed shouldn’t control you.”
A dark, minimal graphic displaying a quote: “These moments of friendly connection are so unlike most of what I see elsewhere.” The quote is attributed to @Corey from Edmonton, AB, alongside a small circular profile image of coffee beans in. A subtle Gander logo appears in the corner, with the overall tone feeling calm, human, and reflective.
Awesome throwback colourway of the ATmosphereConf website. Channelling the best of 90s internet design.
Screenshot of a social media post by @tjcaul replying to @gander.social. The post says they’re coming from Meta and are happy to see Canadian news on social media again, adding that bias scoring is “the cherry on top,” with a cherry emoji. Below is a preview of a post linking to a CBC article titled “How Team Canada stacks up against its Wint…,” showing a photo of a Canadian flag and labels reading “Center-Left” and “High Factuality,” with an information icon.
A Gander post by @fastdogs that says visiting other social media raises their blood pressure, while Gander feels like a quiet coffee shop, with a coffee cup emoji at the end and engagement icons below the text.
White graphic with the Gander logo and the word “Gratitude” at the top. Illustrated Canada geese fly in a circular, symmetrical formation at the centre. Below, text reads: “When people in Canada come together, remarkable things take shape. Thank you for shaping this with us.”
Portrait graphic featuring Catherine Tait, Strategic Advisor for Media Acquisition. She is shown in a circular headshot against a black background, with shoulder-length red hair and a calm expression. The design includes the word “Gratitude” at the top and illustrated flying geese along the bottom.
A white background with the words “Exgoose Me” appearing in bold black letters, mimicking the phrase “Excuse me” as a playful pun featuring the word “goose.”
A hand holds a smartphone showing the Gander app’s welcome screen. The screen displays the Gander logo over a photo of two smiling people looking at a phone together, with drinks on the table. Text on the screen reads: “Better social media, from post to post to post” with options to “Join Gander” or “Sign in.”
A scanned image of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The document has a cream-colored background with a red header at the top that includes the Canadian coat of arms and the words “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” in both English and French. Below the header, the text is organized into multiple columns, each outlining different sections of the Charter, including rights and freedoms related to expression, mobility, equality, legal protections, and language rights. The document has a formal, official appearance, resembling a historical or legal proclamation.
A graphic for Gander’s Gratitude Week. At the top is the Gander logo with the words “Gratitude Week.” Below is a circular headshot of Peter Dinsdale, smiling, wearing a black suit jacket, white shirt, and no tie, against a light background. Text underneath reads: “Peter Dinsdale, Social Partnerships. YMCA Canada, CSA Group, Assembly of First Nations.” At the bottom, there is an illustrated flock of Canada geese flying in formation.
A graphic for Gander’s Gratitude Week. At the top is the Gander logo with the words “Gratitude Week.” Below is a circular photo of Melody Lumen, smiling, with long gray hair, wearing glasses and a black top, set against a soft, natural background. Text below reads: “Melody Lumen, Lead Software Engineer. Veritree, MindGeek, Guild Software.” The bottom of the image features illustrated Canada geese flying in formation.
A graphic for Gander’s Gratitude Week. At the top is the Gander logo with the words “Gratitude Week.” Below is a circular photo of Taylor Owen holding a microphone, wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a navy blazer, speaking on stage. Text beneath the photo reads: “Taylor Owen, Strategic Advisor, Media Ethics. The Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy; Machines Like Us.” The bottom of the image is decorated with illustrated Canada geese flying in formation.
A close-up photo of a Canada goose staring directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The background is softly blurred greenery. A hand-drawn speech bubble above the goose says “Thanks.” in playful, casual lettering.
Two people spin playfully in red, cone-shaped chairs inside a brightly lit art gallery filled with colourful, modern paintings on the walls. The gallery has wood floors, white ceilings, and a mix of benches and display tables throughout the space.
Already, people are using the protocol that powers Bluesky to build social experiences for specific groups — like Blacksky is doing for the Black online community or like Gander Social is doing for social media users in Canada." The names "Blacksky" and "Gander Social" are green and underlined, indicating they are clickable links.
A stack of five books on a white shelf, partially surrounded by trailing green leaves. Titles include Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard, Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho, The Rise of Wolf 8 by Rick McIntyre, The Next Economy MBA, and Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. A colorful bookshelf is blurred in the background.
Jennifer, seated in a peaceful garden, shares her journey from immigrating to Canada to joining the Canadian social media startup Gander. She reflects on seeing Come From Away, feeling a deep connection to the warmth of Canadian communities, and her excitement about building an ethical, inclusive company at Gander.
one of the questions that we've heard a lot is what's next great I got a I signed up when do I actually use the app so to be clear we're building this thing uh we wanna do this right we wanna make great social media for Canada uh it's it's it's we're in the process of building it right now um so we're gonna be releasing a roadmap uh publishing it on social media and on our site and everywhere we can so that people know where we're going and where we're at in our process um the roadmap will appear here you can check your email and everything else feel free again to ask questions when it comes to usernames we don't have a date yet but you know keep checking social media keep checking your emails and also you'll see it on the roadmap so you'll know when it's coming up hope that helps