# Platonic Social Platforms Urban Orca Helps You Get Social Offline By Christopher DeLuca | Published 2011-06-17 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-orca References: [techcrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/find-a-hobby-and-some-friends-on-urbanorca/) & [urbanorca](http://www.urbanorca.com/) Toronto-based [Urban Orca](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/transport-fever-3) wants to transform your social experience by linking you with people who have [similar interests in your city](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hyperlocal-social-networks). The social media site is following a wave of companies that are leveraging the Internet to manifest real-world interactions. Looking to meet like-minded joggers to work up a Sunday sweat? Or maybe you want to play some Texas hold'em but you could use a couple more regulars. Urban Orca is here to save the day. The social media does not aspire to be a dating site but rather a a springboard for Platonic relationship. Unlike [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/noplace-app), Urban Orca has no pictures on its profiles; after chatting, users can decide if they want to share their pics and meet up offline. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.1/10 - Popularity: 17% | Activity: 68% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Platonic Social Platforms:** Urban Orca taps into the trend of leveraging the Internet to facilitate real-world interactions for non-romantic relationships. - **City-based Social Networks:** Urban Orca follows the trend of connecting people with similar interests in the same city, creating opportunities for offline meetups and interactions. - **Privacy-oriented Social Media:** Urban Orca's approach of not displaying profile pictures until after a conversation aligns with the trend of privacy-focused social networking platforms. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Social Networking:** The social media industry has an opportunity to explore and develop platforms for facilitating platonic relationships and organizing offline meetups. - **Gaming:** The gaming industry can leverage Urban Orca's concept of connecting people with shared interests to create online gaming communities and organize local gaming events. - **Fitness:** Fitness companies and apps can integrate with Urban Orca to help users find workout buddies and organize group fitness activities in their city. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Offline Dating Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/offline-dating-experiences.md) - [In-Person Connection Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/connection-app.md) - [Introvert-Friendly Social Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/introvrs-social-app.md) - [Customizable Profile Social Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/noplace-app.md) - [Activity Focused Socialization Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sosocial-app.md) - [Couple Friendship-Focused Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doubles-social.md) - [Foodie Networking Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/yourtable.md) - [Real-World Connection Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dayone-irl-dating-app.md) - [Localized Networking Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/presence.md)