Facebook is the epitome of centralized order. Its features are created and released with a certain technocratic paternalism, an insistence that it be allowed to protect you from the tacky excesses of MySpace. And to some extent, this is exactly what’s best about it when it works — people may dislike being pushed into Timeline, but they detest being spammed with social gaming invitations. It’s also the reason why a page like Glitchr is so much fun.
Glitchr, the Facebook page designed to break Facebook
Glitchr is a Facebook page that collects examples of posts that push the limit of what can be included in a Facebook layout.
Glitchr is a Facebook page that collects examples of posts that push the limit of what can be included in a Facebook layout.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Glitchr is a collection of hacks and tricks that push the limits of what can be confined to the Facebook format. The results range from duplicated chat feeds to layout-breaking collections of pronunciation marks or diacritics. We wouldn’t exactly call it subversive, but it’s gathered a community of like-minded people working to turn technical know-how into deliberate ugliness against a backdrop of bland attractiveness. While Glitchr comes from a decidedly different place than some glitch art, it’s part of a long history of such aesthetic hacking.
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