Charlotte startup founder Joshua Lineberger had a beef with    social media websites: They simply werent social enough, he    said.  
    On Tuesday, he unveiled his solution: Socialtopias, a mobile app and social networking    site that helps users plan a night out with friends, chat with    people in real time and claim deals from restaurants, bars and    nightclubs.  
    Lineberger, 28, said the site, which launches in Charlotte on    Wednesday, encourages social interaction between people instead    of widening the digital barrier.  
    Social media is more of a facade kind of masking as social,    he said. The digital world was created to eventually better    enhance  our lives. Right now, its existing and acting as a    world itself. You feel that youre more connected to everybody,    but you couldnt be more disconnected.  
    Thats the theme of the Socialtopias pitch.  
    We often introduce the issue by saying, Ive got 2,000    friends on social media but nothing to do tonight,     said Martin Miller, Socialtopias director of    operations. You may have all these digital acquaintances, but    what are you doing in real life?  
    The Socialtopias app is the first product developed by    Linebergers startup, which bears the same name. Lineberger    said he launched it after securing $4.5million    from an angel investor, whom he didnt identify. He patented    his idea in 2011, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark    Office.  
    Its a free download for Apple, Android and desktop users, and    employs a recommendation engine that catalogs each users    nightlife habits and suggests similar destinations when they    log in again.  
    One night, you might want to go out for a laid-back drink, one    night you might want to go out for a bachelor party,    Lineberger said. The user experience is  going to be very    intuitive.  
    Socialtopias will eventually charge businesses that put their    deals on the site if they want to extend their reach beyond    their immediate market, Miller said. Those plans are still in    the works, as are efforts to reach out to sponsors.  
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Charlotte startup launches social network for real life fun