This supernatural app is causing some pretty spooky coincidences
With tons of newfound free time and nowhere to go, teens are turning to an app called Randonautica to stay entertained.
According to Wired, “randonauting” is using a random number generator to produce specific coordinates close to your current location. On the Randonautica app, people share some of the coordinates they’ve explored along with what they found — or hope to find — there.
Still confused? On Reddit, user falconview summarized the concept of randonauting eloquently and concisely.
“It’s essentially using a true random (or as close to that as feasibly possible) generator to calculate location coordinates and then going there to explore,” they explained. “It’s to get you out of your routine and go to a specific local place you’ve probably never even noticed.”
“A lot of users use it to also explore and experiment with ideas about quantum mechanics and consciousness and to basically see what happens when you go to a place the universe doesn’t expect. Like, if we’re in a simulation, what could happen if you start doing truly random things. Ideas like that. I’m not sure what I think about that part of it but a lot of people report having strange experiences randonauting so there could be something to it.”
As falconview noted, a big part of randonauting is setting an intention before you set out to explore the coordinates you’ve stumbled upon. As the Randonauts website explains, many people explore random coordinates in an attempt to “experience the mind-matter interaction phenomena” and “find enhancement and magic in the world around them.”
On TikTok, hashtags like #RandonautChallenge and #Randonauting have millions of views each. Teens are flocking to the forum to share their creepy coincidental randonauting experiences — and as a result, the Randonautica app has gone down several times since quarantine started.
@emmadewalt EVERYONE needs to do this. it was insane ##fyp##foryoupage##InTheHouseparty##cookinghacks##YoplaitCupRelay##yearbook2020
♬ original sound - ariel_kc
On the r/randonauts subreddit, which has more than 36,000 members, people are also sharing their crazy randonauting experiences.
One Reddit user revealed that after hoping for a “sad” experience, they came across an “old house in the middle of the woods” with what appears to be nooses hanging in it.
Went on a void trip and found an old house in the middle of the woods. We looked inside and found what looks like whats left of 2 Nooses. My intention was something sad. On our way back to the truck there was an owl sitting in a tree watching us. I’m done with this app from r/randonauts
Another person who manifested peace ended up walking to a sign with the word “peace” written on it.
Manifested peace: didn’t see anything significant at actual location, went to leave the neighborhood the app sent us to, passed this on the way out. from r/randonauts
According to Joshua Lengfelder, one of the most active members in the randonauting community, the fun and unusual activity is meant to make you “more aware of the world around you.”
“By venturing into the unknown, you train your brain to deal with uncertainty,” he told Wired. “Randonauting also increases perceptual awareness, attention, and learning ability. It can help establish new loops and [behaviors], opening new potential choices and possibilities.”
If you’re interested in giving randonauting a try, make sure to check out the r/randonauts subreddit to learn more about the unusual activity.
If you enjoyed this story, In The Know also covered this Reddit thread of spooky “unexplained” encounters.
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