There’s an app for everything now, and I mostly hate it. I don’t want to download an app to manage my renter’s insurance, or to order food while physically at the restaurant, or to run my washing machine, thank you very much.
It’s my most boomer complaint, despite being in my mid-20s.
However, we rely on our phones for most things, so you often have no choice but to give certain apps a try.
I was introduced to Partiful, a free digital-invite service, through a text at a time when it wasn’t yet in the app store. The message had a link to the electronic invite of a dear friend’s birthday party, which had already been penciled into my calendar for months. I thought, “She could’ve just sent a text,” and responded, “I’m going.”
But once I saw the cat picture at the top of the invite, I quickly changed my slight attitude about Partiful.
It’s vibey and very Gen Z–coded—in the sense that you’re trying to be hip and cool and not take yourself too seriously, but you’re also being deeply unchill by needing a head count for your party.
It brings a trace of the old-fashioned word-of-mouth invites to the digital age—and lets your memes and sense of humor shine.
After sending and receiving countless invites through Partiful, and learning to appreciate its delightfully gaudy aesthetic, I gave the app a place on my homescreen the day it became available.
