Thu Nov. 4, 2021
Finally, some of us had an excuse to justify why our social media was so dry. It was no longer that none of my friends liked me anymore – it was actually a global crisis: Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp were down. God, only if it were Teams.
Oh, WhatsApp is down! That’s why you haven’t responded to my messages for the past three months!!!
Every 20 minutes or so, I would go to Instagram anticipating something to change even though, unsurprisingly, it did not. It felt like going to the fridge every so often expecting to find food, but the only thing staring back at you is a sad-looking, shriveled up, half chopped bell pepper. Maybe I’ve been Pavlov-ed into a salivating social media dog. After 6 hours, things were back to normal.
Yet, what is most surprising about this situation is the sense of vast disconnectedness many of us felt. At this moment in time, in all worlds possible, we are the most connected we have ever been. So in preparation for a future doomsday of social media, let us explore some exciting social network startups.
Social Startup Replacements?
If you’re wondering about a world without Whatsapp, what about Wonder? The highlight of the Wonder experience is being able to move a small picture icon of yourself around the ‘room’ backdrop. I love putting myself on top of Big Ben for attention in the Wonder virtual room.
Inspired by old-school newspaper personal ads, Lex is a text-based social app for both friendship and love within the queer community. This form of innovation is vital, creating virtual queer-friendly spaces.
Bored of scrolling through Reddit or Twitter? WhoYou brings specificity to the game. They build connections based on search words and phrases within the app – making it a pull rather than push-orientated connection application.
Most social networks focus on text or image, but audio-based networks change this. Betty Labs, which created Locker Rooms (now, technically Greenroom), has been acquired by Spotify! The aim is to create conversation within the Spotify ecosystem in-app.
Last but not least, why not check out Work In Startups? Not a social media app, or remotely a replacement for Instagram, but is the go-to stop for startup jobs.