Cheriton School of Computer Science alumnus Ulkar Akhundzada (BCS 2015), a software development manager at Mappedin, has developed an app that gives people a taste of fame, and has received recognition of her own in the process.
Known as “Hype Simulator,” Ulkar’s app, available for both Apple and Android phones, has been topping the charts in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.
Hype Simulator simulates what it’s like to be a famous celebrity on social media, with rapidly increasing follower counts, notifications, direct messages from adoring fans, and other aspects of going viral — all fake, of course.
The dopamine ride of fame and stardom resets after 15 minutes, in accordance with artist Andy Warhol’s famous prophecy that in the future everyone will be world-famous for exactly that long.
According to a reviewer at the App Store, Hype Simulator “lets you have a glimpse of what if feels like to have a bunch of big numbers thrown at you. It’s kind of nice being able to live in this simulation without the actual real-world pressure of being famous.”
Both TikTok and Twitter have been ablaze with comments about the app and the way it recreates the experience of being famous.
To learn more about Hype Simulator, please see the feature on Dazed Digital.
