Google's hyperlocal social networking app Shoelace aims to connect people with common interests

Google's Shoelace app is currently being rolled out to only a select group of users in New York City

Google is testing a new social media platform, called Shoelace, intended to encourage people to connect with others based on their shared interests.

The network is currently invitation-only and is being rolled out only in New York. Depending on the popularity of the platform, Google may roll it out for more people in other cities across the US (or may be in other countries as well) - or, equally likely, just close it down again.

Shoelace is a 'hyperlocal' social networking app developed for people who want to connect with others based on shared interests in specific events and activities, such as indoor/outdoor games, attending shows, and so on.

The app has been created by Google's Area 120 product development workshop and is available for Android and iOS users.

The platform aims to encourage people to do more in real life rather than spending most of their time trolling strangers on smartphones.

Shoelace enables users to create listings for events (called loops) that can be shared with others via the app.

Conversely, the app will also recommend user activities based on their interests and preferences. For example, someone with an interest in comedy shows might be prompted to visit a local comedy club to enjoy a live comedy show.

Users will also be able to share events through links to others outside of the social network.

"The whole premise of Shoelace is to tie people together based on their interests - like two laces on a shoe," according to the nauseating blurb on the app's website.

"After installing the app, we ask each user to join a community - which often require verification - to ensure you only attend Loops with people you might want to know.

"We also work hard to make sure that everything you see in Shoelace- from profiles to Loops- is aligned with our House Rules and community standards."

The app is live on iOS (TestFlight) and Google Play for people who have received an invitation from the company.

Shoelace's launch comes just two months after the shutdown of Google Plus, the company's largest social media effort to date, which had been as good as dead for several years. The platform was finally closed in April after a constant decline in the number of active users.

According to some reports, Shoelace also bears a remarkable similarity to Schemer, which Google launched in 2011 as an experimental event-organising app. Schemer was shut down in 2014 after it failed to make much of a mark among internet users.