Before Facebook took over the social media world, Orkut made a significant impact in 2004. Known for its hot pink design, blue feeds, and small profile photos, Orkut was a unique platform. It shared its name with its founder, Orkut Büyükkökten.
Büyükkökten was born in Konya, Turkey, and moved to Germany at the age of one. His love for Star Wars sparked his interest in computer science, leading him to Stanford University. There, he noticed students preferred networking within their dorms, so he created the first campus social networking platform, Club Nexus. Later, he developed InCircle for alumni, all before Facebook emerged.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin hired Büyükkökten as a frontend software engineer. Google allowed employees to spend 20 percent of their time on passion projects. Büyükkökten used this time to create Orkut. Google suggested the name for its uniqueness and catchy five-letter format.
Despite concerns about user capacity, Orkut launched and quickly gained millions of users. It was initially popular in America and Japan but faced server issues that reduced its user base. However, it became unexpectedly popular in Finland due to a suggestive meaning of the word “Orkut” in Finnish.
Orkut also became significant in countries like Estonia and India. Its biggest success was in Brazil, where almost 80% of internet users signed up. Despite many challenges, Orkut maintained a loyal user base until it shut down in 2014 due to server issues, competition from Facebook, and privacy concerns.
In 2014, Büyükkökten launched a new network called Hello, focusing on positive connections. Hello initially attracted a strong following but closed down in 2020.
Today, Büyükkökten is developing a new platform using AI and Machine Learning to promote happiness and unity. He aims to connect people in real life while being mindful of social media’s impact on mental health, advocating for optimism over profit-driven algorithms.
Despite past setbacks, Büyükkökten remains hopeful about his upcoming platform. The nostalgia and ongoing interest in Orkut inspire him to create a more human-centric social media. While details of his next project remain secret, the anticipation for a better social media experience continues to grow among his followers.
