Smartphones have it all to become the target of new social networks. Geolocalisation, photo and video camera, instant, constant connection, etc. Let’s have a look at some of that might appear a bit questionable today, but who knows, any of them could easily become the next “big” social network, stranger things have happened.
Yik Yak, the proximity social network
Users create friendship ties to share concerns, offer help, meet and interact with others who are tagged as being nearby (5 mile radius). A great app if you’d like to join a group of skaters in the park or go out for dinner. Unlike other social networks, Yik Yak aims for smaller and more local communities.
Swarm and geolocalisation
Swarm is the mobile app from its older brother Foursquare, which is not exactly enjoying its best moment right now. It gets users to share their location, so others know when they’re nearby; they can meet or, at least, comment on where they are. It draws heavily on gamification to award prizes or profile improvements, so now unlocking virtual stickers and collecting them has turned into a crazy competition.
Musical.ly & a fleeting moment of fame
This app is extremely popular among teenagers, giving everyone their 15 seconds of glory. Users can create a short video and choose different soundtracks. Singing well-known songs with exaggerated gestures and non-stop movements seem to be most popular here but you can also dub scenes from movies and series and even add your own voice. Unlike its competitor Snapchat, it doesn’t delete videos.
Chatous, back to the classics
It’s like returning to the Internet of the past but using today’s tech. This social network is going back to the style of chats in the 1990s, like Ozú or LatinChat. You simply write what you’re interested in as a hashtag and the app places you in a group conversation. You can change the group, and your profile name, at any moment just like back in the day and also avail of today’s technology and send videos, photos and audio with an expiry time.
