These New Apps Are Revolutionizing Social Media
Staying connected in 2018 is far easier than it was in the early 2000s. Then we had text messaging and IM (instant messaging) through services like MSN Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. Now there are so many ways to chat, message, call, and connect that it can be overwhelming at times. Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are on almost everyone's phones.
But sometimes you need a break from the regular old memes, photos of your best friend’s cereal, and snaps of the ceiling.. or maybe you want something where you can just connect with the people that matter most to you. Continue reading to learn about five new and underrated social media platforms that are changing the game.
5 Mappen
An unabashed play on the words “map” and “happen,” Mappen aims to make it easy to plan events with friends. In a slightly creepy style, the app shares a user’s location with friends so that everyone knows where everyone else is at; of course, you can choose to go “invisible” at any time.
While this open-stalking approach seems like a bad idea, the makers of Mappen say people can use the feature to keep friends safe or meet up with them; and all of this tracking is meant to make it easy to plan events with others in the same vicinity.
The app features VoIP calling, six emoji “reactions,” and two-tap communication so it’s easy to see what your friends are up to. Only users that are friends can see each other on the map, and anyone can choose to hide their location at anytime. Mappen makes spontaneous meet ups and event planning easier than ever before.
4 FireChat
Possibly the most underrated of messaging apps, FireChat lets users communicate without a connection to the Internet. This wicked magic is made possible thanks to a little thing called Bluetooth. Users can also connect through the Internet over long distances, but this unique P2P (peer-to-peer) approach allows for more versatile and more innovative communication tactics.
When in large arenas or events with multiple users, FireChat creates a Bluetooth mesh network, where every device relays data to each other expanding the range of communication. Using Bluetooth, users can communicate on airplanes, in low reception areas, or in emergency situations where cellular towers might be bogged down or Wi-Fi is unavailable. Keep in mind, these scenarios would only be possible for users that are within range, but it still opens up some rather unique possibilities; for example, communicating in private in an area with no Internet.
FireChat lets people private message other users or create or participate in group chatrooms. It’s a fun and unique experience, even if the practical, everyday uses are somewhat limited.
Get FireChat from the App Store
3 Nextdoor
Looking for a social network for your neighborhood? Nextdoor has you covered. This unique social media platform connects users within a community or neighborhood.
Neighbors can make recommendations, warn of suspicious or criminal behavior, help find lost pets, and organize community events. With Nextdoor, users might actually get to know their neighbors. They can buy and sell items, read local news, and see recommendations from other users.
Recommendations can help users find a local date, a nearby dog-sitter, or a good place to eat right from the app. It’s kind of like eBay, Yelp, and Facebook for your neighborhood all wrapped into one app.
Get Nextdoor from the App Store
2 Stoke
Sometimes social media is more than social media. It’s invasive, broad, riddled with spam, and can keep people from actually getting out and being, well, social.
While one of the lesser-known apps, Stoke markets itself as “social media reinvented.” There are no ads. They don’t share or tag users’ data. They don’t try to show them posts they might like. Stoke just aims to connect people without all the extras.
This barebones approach is very different than apps like Path that aim to give you a more private approach to social media. Instead, Stoke feels like a get-in-get-out experience where people can ask questions and share stories about friends. Like and comment on posts. Add a profile photo and contact information. And really, that’s about it.
Users looking for a basic social app that doesn’t feel like all the others will probably really enjoy Stoke. It’s different. But it’s a good different.
1 Path
Path started out as an intimate way to stay in touch with family and close friends. It has since evolved to allow users to post publicly and explore others’ posts; but, the genera idea is still the same.
Path keeps it simple while still providing users a wide range of options. Users can easily tell friends what popular content they’re enjoying (music, TV, movies, and books), share their location, upload photos and video clips, create a story, share a thought, and even log when they wake up or go to sleep, all by pressing the share (“+”) icon and selecting one of six icons.
Users can share on a number of different levels: Public, friends, “Inner Circle,” and private. The inner circle consists only of favorited friends, while private posts are similar to a journal. Path works as a journaling app in the sense that it keeps track of both private and shared moments. Additionally, posts can be shared to a variety of other social services including Facebook, Twitter, and Swarm.
Want to like a photo or post? There are many options to choose from: Users can smile, laugh, express surprise, show sadness, or love a post. Posts can also be tagged with hashtags or user tags. Like many social platforms, Path also allows direct messaging, sharing of posts (“repathing”), and adding stickers and filters to posts.