Beyond popular social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and X, many new social networks have popped up in recent years, attracting a wide range of users. And many of them could be the next big social media platform of the future. We'll show you seven of the most promising ones.
The big social media platforms such as Facebook and X have lost their appeal for many users in recent years. Too old-fashioned, too annoying, too "negative". This is also reflected in the declining number of users on many of these platforms.
At the same time, new social networks that inspire users are emerging. We'll show you seven of the most up-and-coming sites right now.
1. Mastodon
Mastodon is an up-and-coming social network from Germany with a focus on data protection and decentralization. Developed in 2016, the open-source app allows users to host their own server instances and establish and build up their own community.
With features like creating text posts and image sharing, Mastodon is similar to other social platforms, but emphasizes individual control over privacy settings.
According to the latest figures from Mastodon, the platform currently has 5.8 million registered users worldwide and 1.8 million active monthly users.
Mastodon is mainly used by privacy-conscious users who are looking for an alternative to large social media platforms. Mastodon is similar to other decentralized platforms such as Diaspora and Friendica, but its user-friendliness and active community have helped it gain popularity.
Especially with the change from Twitter to X, many have migrated to Mastodon.
2. Wattpad
Wattpad is one of those social media platforms that has been around for a very long time, attracts many users (especially from Gen Z) and despite this, it's still fairly unknown.
Since it was founded in 2006, Wattpad has been one of the leading platforms for sharing stories. With 94 million users worldwide, the app is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. Wattpad allows authors to upload stories in a wide range of genres, ranging from romance to science-fiction all the way to mystery, and engage directly with a large group of readers.
The platform is characterized by its user-friendliness, making it easy for aspiring authors to publish their work. A central aspect of Wattpad is the interaction between authors and their readers. Readers have the opportunity to comment, rate and give feedback on stories, creating an active and engaged community of storytellers.
Despite the uniqueness of Wattpad, there are similar platforms such as Archive of Our Own (AO3) and Scribophile. While AO3 is particularly well-known for fan fiction, Scribophile offers a platform for a general community of writers. However, Wattpad remains an outstanding place for writers and readers alike due to its intuitive user interface, global reach and broad thematic diversity.
What makes Wattpad particularly exciting is the level of engagement. The average time that a user spends on the platform every day is 60 minutes!
3. Reddit
Reddit, known for its famous tagline, "the front page of the internet", is a versatile social media site that was launched in 2005. According to Reddit, it has more than 450 million users worldwide and 70 million daily active users. Reddit offers a wide range of Subreddits dedicated to specific topics on the site. The target group is extremely diverse, ranging from podcast enthusiasts to people interested in politics and history.
Other platforms such as Quora and 4chan have certain similarities to Reddit. Quora focuses on knowledge sharing, while 4chan is an anonymous messaging board platform and is known for its controversial community. However, Reddit retains its uniqueness through its strong community building, the ability to explore specific areas of interest, and the democratic rating of content through upvotes and downvotes.
For companies, Reddit also offers advertising opportunities that are particularly suitable for building brand awareness and better addressing of the target audience.
4. Discord
Discord, founded in 2015, is an outstanding communication platform that focuses on the needs of gamers. The app allows users to create servers where they can send text messages, make voice and video calls, and create different chat channels, share memes, and even integrate bots.
With more than 140 million active users per month worldwide, Discord has become a widely used platform for social interaction and collaboration.
Discord's target group primarily consists of gamers who use the platform to communicate while playing or to talk about games. In more recent years, however, Discord has also established itself as a popular platform for communities outside the gaming sector, including groups for creative projects, fashion, or education.
Similar platforms such as Slack and Teams also offer collaboration features. However, Discord stands out due to its user-friendliness, the option to integrate bots and its focus on informal, entertaining interactions.
For companies whose target groups are active on Discord, the messenger app is also interesting for brand awareness, marketing and advertising.
5. Tellonym
Tellonym, launched in 2016, is another social network from Germany. The platform focuses on anonymous feedback and open communication. The app currently has ten million downloads in the Google Playstore.
Users can ask each other questions, give feedback or send messages on the platform, all while remaining anonymous. The app enables open and honest interaction between users.
Tellonym's target audience primarily consists of people who value anonymous communication and are open to feedback or questions. The platform is often used by teenagers and young adults to communicate in a relaxed and informal way.
At the same time, however, the anonymous exchange is also sometimes abused for cyberbullying, especially among girls, which is why the app is restricted to users aged 17 and up.
There are some platforms with similar approaches, such as Sarahah and Curious Cat, which also allow anonymous feedback. That being said, Tellonym remains a standout choice for those seeking anonymous interactions due to its simplicity and ability to communicate openly with one another.
6. Threads
Threads is a text-based social media app developed by Instagram that allows users to share short messages and communicate with friends.
Like Facebook and Instagram, Threads is part of Meta's family of social networks and is linked to the Instagram app. The app was launched in 2023 and experienced a lot of hype shortly after its launch. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the app had 100 million monthly users just a few months after its initial launch.
The app was developed to offer a more positive alternative to X (formerly known as Twitter). Accordingly, Threads is a text-based platform that focuses on the exchange of messages. In contrast to Instagram, the focus is on text-based content, while images, videos, and graphics only play a secondary role.
The target group of Threads are (Instagram) users who are looking for a quick and easy way to communicate with their friends.
It's yet to be seen whether Threads will be able to establish itself in the long run. After all, following the initial enthusiasm, platform usage fell by over 82% in some cases.
However, according to Meta's Q4 report from 2023, Threads was able to bounce back and currently has more users than during the first hype, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
7. BeReal
BeReal is an app that aims to promote authentic and honest communication between users. The platform encourages sharing real moments, thoughts, and feelings without the pressure to maintain a perfect front. Users can upload images, text, and videos that reflect their authentic personality.
BeReal's target audience are people who are looking for a platform where they can express themselves without filters or faking a persona of some kind. The app primarily appeals to users who value authenticity in their social interactions.
There are no directly comparable platforms with the same focus on authenticity as BeReal. However, other social networks such as Instagram and TikTok also offer opportunities to share authentic content, with a focus on visual media. BeReal stands out with its clear focus on authenticity and genuineness.
New social media platforms on the rise
Younger generations in particular, but also those who have grown tired of more traditional social media platforms such as Facebook, are turning away from them and looking for alternatives.
Networks that offer more anonymity and a more direct exchange seem to be particularly successful.
The enthusiasm surrounding new apps such as Threads, but also the rapid growth in users on forum-like platforms such as Reddit or Discord, show that users are looking for new, interactive ways to communicate.
Companies should keep an eye on this trend and the new networks, as it's precisely these platforms and communication habits of today that will determine the consumer habits of tomorrow.
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