Social media is shaping modern life today. Social media empowers people to form & nurture relationships, connects people with critical opinions, & enables people to form personal brand empires.
Social media is one of the revolutionary trends of our time. While most people know the big social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, many less-known platforms are trying to just get their feet off the ground. In fact, some of these new platforms cater to only niche demographics.
Read on to learn about 12 new social media platforms and app that you might not know about.
- Why Adopt New Social Media Platforms?
- 12 Big Social Platforms To Watch Out For In 2024
- Risks Of Early Adoption Of New Social Media Platforms
- Wrapping Up!
You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.
Why Adopt New Social Media Platforms?
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Knowledge: If you are one of the first users of a platform, it means that you will have more experience as the audience grows. You will have a first-row view of building connections on the platform. You will also have a greater understanding of how the tools work than those who jump on the bandwagon quite late.
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Creativity: The audience on new social media platforms may be smaller at first, but users will possibly respect your brand for trying something new with them. You will have an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You still have to maintain your brand integrity & be who you are.
However, you can be creative about how you present yourself on the platform. You have already taken the risk of trying something new – so now embrace it and see how far you can push it; be creative.
12 Next Big Social Media Platforms To Watch Out For In 2024
Every time new social media platforms emerges, speculations rise & trendsetting fans race to jump on the bandwagon. However, that shouldn't be the case. You should be very very careful in choosing which social platform to build your presence on.
See what is new & special about each social network & how it's going to be the next big thing. Figure out how you can exploit the platform for marketing purposes.
Social media is driven by the masses. The users are the core of every social platform & every marketer is trying to get their bite. Your efforts are wasted if a platform proves unsuitable for your brands to utilize. Here we have broken down some of the new social media platforms out there to look out for this year.
1. Twitch
As an American video live streaming service, Twitch is amongst the new social media platforms that focus on video game live streaming. It includes broadcasts of esports competitions, apart from offering music broadcasts, creative content, & "in real life" streams.
It is operated by Twitch Interactive, which is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. Content on this platform can be viewed either live or via video on demand. It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of Justin.tv, the general-interest streaming platform. Twitch provided gamers an alternative to YouTube for broadcasting their game live.
Its USP is the live chat feature that viewers participate in during the stream, and the streamers can also respond to the viewers.
Features
- Social media stream
- Multi-platform streaming
- Audience tools
- Live rewind
- Live chat
- Pause
- Highlight clips
- Video archive
- Analytics
- Monetization options
Image Source: HubSpot
2. Discord
As a group-chatting platform, Discord is among the new social media platforms that was originally built for gamers. Since then, it has become a general use platform for many kinds of communities. Discord allows users to conduct voice-chat and video-chat, and livestream games & other programs from their computers. Discord is divided into servers. Each server has its own members, rules, topics, & channels.
But since its launch in 2015, Discord has branched out to include different communities from all the corners of the internet, ranging from writers to artists. In fact, it has boomed in popularity during the pandemic because more people have played games & socialized online. The platform has 140+ million active monthly users.
Features
- Servers
- Channels
- Direct messages
- User profiles
- Video calls and streaming
- Digital distribution
- Developer tools
Image Source: Discord
3. Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio-chat social networking app. Clubhouse crossed 11 million downloads globally within less than a year of its launch in April 2020. The rise to fame of the Clubhouse was very consistent from the start; however, its popularity skyrocketed at the beginning of 2021.
Some of the most iconic tech personalities of the world, including Elon Musk & Mark Zukerberg, admitted to using the Clubhouse app and also engaged with other users on this social platform. That's when new social media platforms like Clubhouse saw skyrocketing growth. And now we are living in a new Clubhouse social media era.
Features
- Chat moderation
- Rooms
- Events
- Clubs
- Backchannel
- Explore
- Clubhouse payments
- Creator first
- Icon
- Wave
- Recording
Image Source: Vogue Business
4. Caffeine
Caffeine is a social broadcasting platform delivering live, interactive content at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and gaming. They produce exclusive gaming, esports, sports, & live entertainment content that is streamed to audiences on the platform. Caffeine & Twitch have partnered with celebrities to host pre-game celebrations for Super Bowl 2020. Caffeine celebrities included JuJu Smith-Schuster & Offset.
Image Source: MacRumors
5. Whisper
As an anonymous social networking app, Whisper users can post confessions (fact or fiction) by superimposing text on a picture. Whisper's USP is that it is entirely anonymous. Users are issued a random nickname on joining the platform. Whisper has its own gallery of fonts & photos to choose from that helps protect the anonymity of users.
Whisper was launched in March 2012. Whisper was valued at over $200 million two years after its initial launch.
The Whisper app is exclusive to Android & Apple platforms. The desktop version of Whisper has limited functionality & it doesn't allow you to post any Whispers.
There are no followers, friends, or profiles of any user on the platform. The app uses people's locations & allows users to add a group or school, but it doesn't ask for photos or email addresses. In fact, users can't even use the search function to search for other users on the platform.
The primary way of communicating with someone on the platform is by responding to their Whispers, which can be achieved by sending your own Whisper or even through the chat function. However, it is much more challenging to maintain a user's anonymity through the chat or private messaging function.
Above all else, the absence of an identity attracts young adults as it gives them a sense of anonymity.
Users can set up a pin to access the app. This feature is essential for preserving anonymity as users don't use a password for signing into their accounts & are automatically signed into the app once downloaded.
Why Do Teens Like Whisper?
- Some Whispers are quite hilarious.
- Whisper was dubbed as a cross between Snapchat and Twitter, so it attracts the audience from both social platforms.
- Users can share their secrets without risking their personal identity being damaged.
- Young teens can release their built-up emotions. They don't have to worry about being judged for their own opinions.
Image Source: Gadgets360
6. Medium
Medium is a social publishing platform, open to all & home to a diverse array of ideas, stories, & perspectives. Anyone can become an individual contributor on Medium. Popular topics on Medium range from social media to mental health & from world affairs & trending news to productivity hacks.
The overall design of Medium is minimalistic, which helps to emphasize the importance of what you are saying. The platform features lots of white space & limited formatting options. If you wish to change the header typeface to Comic Sans, you can't, as Medium won't allow such design atrocities.
Medium presents an opportunity for marketers to reach a new audience with their content. It's geared toward sharing longer-form and well-thought-out content. However, given the open-to-all nature of the platform, that isn't the only type of content you find there.
Image Source: Medium
7. Chirp
Chirp is one of those new social media platforms that is a content-sharing app. It allows users to share content through a medium much different from texts, email, QR codes, traditional social networks, Bluetooth, or storage services such as Google Drive or Dropbox. In fact, it is much quicker than any of these methods as it does not require users to enter contact details for who they want to share content or pair devices; all they have to do is simply 'Chirp'!
It works by uploading your content to its server and then converting your link to the server into a series of cheeps that transmit. The content is never permanently on the server. Content that has been received through a Chirp can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, & some other social networks.
Any device near you can hear your device's Chirp when you send a Chirp. Therefore they are able to receive whatever content you are sending. This is something to bear in mind when you decide what to send via Chirp.
Chirp takes the concept of Twitter to a more advanced level. With time, it could prove itself as a widely used social networking app for not just social networking addicts but also brands.
You can also receive chirps from anywhere that is a source of the sound. Chirp has a huge mass marketing potential. Topshop used Chirp to transmit exclusive content to its users via a loudspeaker at London Fashion week.
Image Source: Dribbble
8. Learnist
Learnist is a crowd-sourced collection of the world's knowledge where users can follow & learn from experts around the world. They can even save boards to their reading list for easy access.
On Learnist, signing up & browsing content is free. You can learn from thousands of Learnboards covering different topics ranging from niche areas of academics to broad interests like food, sports, health, entertainment, and more.
Image Source: Learnist Facebook
9. Meta For Creators
Meta for Creators is among those new social media platforms that is community helping video creators to produce content on Meta.
Meta released this platform with video creators in mind. Meta for Creators is also packed with tips, tricks, & inspiring stories for users to get the most out of sharing & monetizing videos on Meta.
Meta for Creators is based on three main ideas to empower creators:
- Unleash your creativity
- Connect
- Get rewarded
Meta for Creators tool is divided into three categories:
- Manage
- Earn money
- Engage
The tool breaks down the video monetization process into chronological steps. This streamlines the process for creators & Page managers. The tools also help those handling multiple Pages to operate in one central location. Meta for Creators integrates both Meta & Instagram.
Image Source: Facebook
10. Yammer
As an enterprise social networking service, Yammer is used for private communication within organizations. It is among those new social media platforms that is also used for networks spanning various organizations.
Only individuals with approved email addresses can join their respective networks, as a user's Internet domain determines access to a Yammer network.
Yammer initially started its service as an internal communication system for a genealogy website. It was launched as an independent product in 2008. In 2012, Microsoft acquired Yammer for US $1.2 billion. And today, Yammer is included in all enterprise plans of Microsoft 365.
Image Source: Silicon Reef
11. Anchor
Anchor is a podcast creation app built for smartphone users but also works as a web-based platform. It is created to be very easy to use to record a podcast and get it out there with a straightforward process. Like YouTube is for videos; similarly, Anchor is for podcasts.
Once you have signed into the program, you can start recording podcasts with a single press of the record icon.
The editing & polishing of the podcast requires a bit more patience and skills. Anchor provides a multitude of editing options that can be dipped into as and when needed, saving everything as you work.
The web-based Anchor offers podcast analytics so you can see how a podcast is performing. You can know how many times an episode was listened to or downloaded, its average listening time, & how it is played.
Image Source: Anchor
12. Foursquare Swarm
Foursquare Swarm is among the new social media platforms that lets users map & track the places they go, share spots with their friends, & facilitate exploration. Users can as well create a record of their experiences in their personal lifelog.
Swarm was launched for Android and iOS devices on May 15, 2014. Swarm allows users to check in to a given location & see who is nearby. The check-ins are chronologically listed to create a personal lifelog for each user. Such personal lifelong serves as a digital library for all the places they have been in a revisitable and shareable search database.
Image Source: Foursquare
Risks Of Early Adoption Of A New Social Media Platform
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Target Market May Never Adopt: If the new social media platforms are a success, you will have the upper hand over the audience on that platform. A majority of your target market will make the same choice as you.
However, the market is usually very sensitive to adopting something new unless it's high on the trend. If your target market never adopts the new platform, your efforts on the platform will be futile.
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Limited Resources: Social media is quite time-consuming. With completely new social media platforms, you will have to learn how they works or how to optimize them to make sure it's performing for you.
Unlike other social channels that already have millions of active users, you are not only growing your following count but convincing others to use the app as a whole.
Conclusion
If your goal is to reach the maximum number of people in the most efficient way, it's an excellent idea to stick to the core social media networks for the beginning. If you don't have the time to experiment with new & untested platforms, stick to what you know! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest are not going away any time soon.
But, if you do have the extra time in hand and want to target those trendsetting users and early adopters, then, by all means, you should try out these new social media platforms listed in this blog. It would be a good start to try your hands at an untested territory.
Who knows, you could be one of the first brands on the next big thing!
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