A new wave of social media apps provide hope in a doomscrolling world 

Zehra Naqvi recalls the magical days of the early social internet.

He grew up in the One Direction and Marvel fandom in the early 2010s. This was back when people posted pictures of lattes using the Valencia filter on Instagram, and Twitter was still Twitter, a place where people came together to exchange jokes and cultural analysis.

But now Instagram is full of influencers, and Twitter is X, a digital town hall with a fierce political divide.

“The platforms that won were the ones that kept people scrolling the longest, not the ones that made them feel the most connected,” Naqvi told TechCrunch. “Now there is an abundance of content but a dearth of joy.”

But that is beginning to change. Naqvi is part of the new wave of social media: interest-first, niche online communities This month, he He announced the launch of his company, science— a site that helps fans keep up with their fans.

Users increasingly want to spend less time on generic sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and instead join online communities tailored to their interests, he believes.

Natalie Dillon, a consumer investor at venture firm Maveron, says she’s starting to see a growing number of founders creating interest-first networks.

“At its core, consumer behavior is shifting from performance to participation,” Dillon told TechCrunch. “For the next generation, community isn’t a feature layered on top of a product. It’s the product.”

He provides examples like buy itAn app that allows users to share their favorite restaurants with friends, orPhysWhich connects people going to same college. Others include astrology-bonding apps co-staror even partner which allows people to connect with friends to plan events

That’s the kind of participatory app that Naqvi wants to create — something like the early social Internet that was “broken and joyless.”

“Niche spaces allow people to be specific and show their full potential without getting lost in the algorithm,” he said.

Previous generations of social media companies found success through “more,” he continued; More followers, more reach, more noise. But some founders and users are now coming to a different conclusion—there probably isn’t a social media app that will become the “next big thing.” There will be several.

Maybe that’s the point.

“What we’ve learned is that depth is more important than breadth,” Naqvi said.

Niche online communities are expanding

Of course, private groups like subreddits, Discord servers, and Facebook communities have always existed. At X, following many of the same accounts was also a way to enter a different online realm: think tech Twitter or Black Twitter.

But the big sites’ algorithms create content for users that a person thinks they want to see. Content creators aren’t innocent either, feeding and fueling trends, topics and discussions — something that can spread fame and keep steady eyes on their work.

“We’ve hit a saturation point,” Naqvi said. “Everyone is tired of doomscrolling and performative content.”

In other words, according to Claire Wardle, an associate professor at Cornell University who studies contemporary information ecosystems, the days of big, simple sites like Facebook are over.

Wardle said users are concerned about the amount of time they spend online, content regulation, the hyper-political space and the permanence of social media posts.

Naturally, there are a few glaring exceptions: Beijing-based TikTok, which has grown in popularity in recent years, was Banned briefly in the US As the government is concerned about the extent of its potential impact. Even Facebook threads There are now 400 million active monthly users As of this month.

But all of this has its roots in what has already become the “last generation” of social media. Wardle, in particular, called TikTok a “broadcast-style” site.

“For the rare few who love the spotlight, it works,” said Maya Watson, its founder, recently Why are social media websites closed?!Said he is now working on another app while stealing. “Most people didn’t sign up to be creators; we just wanted community.”

Alphonzo Terrell’s social network Spill has had a lot of success focusing on the community.

Spill has become a haven for Black X users who have fled in the wake of rising extremism. Terrell says Spill has shifted its design from feeding users content to matching them with communities that might be of interest to them.

For example, people who like to watch the WNBA can join a group specifically for it. Spill also has games, such as Spades — a staple in the Black community — and has partnered with Netflix, Amazon and Paramount to host co-viewing events called “Tea Parties,” where users can watch movies and sports together on the app.

“The next era of social media isn’t about having the most followers,” Terrell told TechCrunch. “It’s about depth; helping people find their people.”

Many black users also fled blackskyFounded by Rudy Fraser. With Blaxi, he is building an open-source network on the same protocol and distributed network Bluesky.

Bluesky’s user base currently Close to 40 million According to an online user tracker built with the Bluesky API. Wardle called the social network representative of how online communities are looking for content more suited to their political interests, given Bluesky’s left-wing bent.

But BlackSky takes it a step further.

It targets minorities and marginalized people and has an algorithm that can filter out racial harassment. Unlike X, where a user can block a racist person and then see another, Blacksky’s users can completely filter what they want from their timeline, providing a custom social media experience.

“Sometimes you need a global stage. Sometimes you want a cozy corner with close internet friends where you can control who sees what,” Fraser told TechCrunch.

Users own their data and can choose to host such information on BlackSky instead of BlueSky, giving them control over who has access to their content.

People vote together on decisions, Fraser said, such as what the community guidelines should be and if non-black users should be allowed to post in the community.

“Until now, people have had to choose, unconsciously or otherwise, between fiduciaries or closed platforms where they have no control,” Fraser said. (give fediverse is another network of open social web servicesA different protocol, built into ActivityPub.)

“We’re demonstrating with the AT protocol that you can have a great user experience, have a great time on the Internet again, and have real autonomy all the time,” Fraser said.

Investors are also following other trends

Artificial intelligence is playing a big role in helping to build more specialized social communities.

Austin Clements, a managing partner at the firm Slauson & Co., sees founders using AI to build apps that understand so well, they go beyond niche social networks to tailored experiences.

“New apps are built natively for niches, enabling them to build the tools and features most relevant to that niche,” he told TechCrunch. “In fact, new applications usually lead with tools and the social part is called ‘community’.”

Naqvi’s product includes an AI tool, though he remains mum on further details. His product is a search engine that lets people go down the Internet rabbit hole. It provides an interactive experience, linking to fan theories, cultural context and Easter eggs; It creates personalized graphs, publishes fandom updates, and gives users monthly reports about their obsessions.

“One of our early testers said it best: ‘It’s like Wikipedia — but if Wikipedia knew what I was thinking,'” she said, adding that her users call her “Mother Lore.”

Emily Herrera, a consumer investor who worked at Slow Ventures, said creators like Naqvi are now in the front seats of this new social media ecosystem. Creators are moving away from participating in the “broadcast” ecosystem to instead create environments where they act as owners, he said, citing newsletters as an example of this trend.

Dani Tran, a principal at BITKRAFT Ventures, said he sees a further rise of “niche passion communities” in gaming. SuperbloomA gaming studio that targets an underrepresented audience is an example.

“Looking forward, the most vibrant social communities will be those built around interactive experiences,” he said.

Added to this is Maveron’s Dillon. “The winner will be the platform that combines intimacy, utility and creativity in one ecosystem,” he said. “They won’t look like traditional social networks; they’ll feel like multiplayer environments where people can create, buy and join all at once.”

Or, as Naqvi puts it: People “want tools that help them remember why being online was fun in the first place.”