As socially inclined creatures, human beings have embraced technology that connects us with others and so, every year, there is an increasing number of people signing up for social media websites. While there weren’t even a billion people using social media back in 2010, the number exceeded more than 2 billion within just five years and in 2019 there were around 2.77 billion people using social media. With smartphones and internet connectivity becoming cheaper and easier to access, these numbers should grow even higher. By 2021, more than 3 billion people will be using social media.
What this means for marketers is that there is huge potential to reach a massive and engaged audience on social media. And that’s not just limited to the popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Some of these social media websites could even help you build valuable connections in your areas of interest.
- Triller
Triller’s hit more than 23 million downloads and while it has a way to go to make TikTok shake in its trendy boots, Triller is definitely up and coming. This AI-driven music video app lets users create professional-level videos in seconds and offers features similar to those that you’ll find on TikTok. Like TikTok, Triller users create music and lipsync videos they can share with their followers.
- WT Social
WT social media is a new social network created by Jimmy Wales (co-founder of Wikipedia). The site touts itself as the “non-toxic social network” and is trying to position itself as an alternative to large, established social networks like Facebook and Twitter. WT Social is ad-free and funded by donations from users. The network seeks to let members choose their own content, fostering a community with integrity.
- Valence
Valence is a social network built to connect Black professionals. It highlights and emphasises the Black professional community around the world and aims to create meaningful connections that result in new enterprises and career opportunities for members.
- Untappd
Untappd gives beer drinkers a platform where they can rate beer, share pictures of beer, earn badges, review tap lists from venues nearby, and see what beers their friends on drinking. They can also comment on logged beers and even ask the app to suggest similar beers. With Untappd, users can share check-ins on Twitter and Facebook and get locations from Foursquare.
- Periscope
Periscope is a live streaming app that focuses on discovering the world through the eyes of its users. The app has more than 10 million registered users and hosts 9.3 million live streams each month. While it’s not a huge platform, there are still more than 350,000 hours of video streamed on Periscope every day.
- Elpha
Elpha is a social network for women looking to build their career, essentially, it’s LinkedIn solely for women. Elpha users can seek both personal and professional support, find jobs and business opportunities, and expand their personal and professional networks.
- Yubo
Yubo is a newer social networking platform that has the lofty goal of reinventing online friendships by creating a safe environment for everyone online. Yubo users can create a profile, add friends, and chat in groups or one-on-one. You can use the platform to live stream and both friends and potential friends can comment.
- Peanut
Peanut is a social network for mothers and potential mothers that is meant to help them make friends and establish strong networks to support them from fertility through motherhood. There are tons of useful resources, forums, and groups on the platform. They now offer a new community area for people who are trying to conceive.
- Houseparty
Houseparty is a face-to-face social network. Users create digital rooms where they can video chat with up to eight people at a time. Users can create unlimited rooms, and users can move from room to room, video chatting with different people, just like at a real house party.
- Caffeine
Caffeine is similar to Periscope. Users can join the platform as viewers or broadcasters. If you’re a viewer, you get access to live streamers around the world, with broadcasters including big names in gaming, sports, and entertainment. Caffeine doesn’t have ads or subscription levels, so you’re free to browse the streams, join a live chat, upvote streams, and donate to your favourite broadcasters.
- Steemit
Steemit is a blockchain-based platform, each post generates a hash, and users are rewarded with STEEM cryptocurrency. Users can create posts on tons of topics and other users then add comments or upvote, similar to Reddit.
- Baidu Tieba
Baidu Tieba is offered by China’s Baidu and is a social network based on keyword searches from the Baidu search engine. It’s a discussion forum format that lets users create a social network around a specific topic or join an existing group.
- 23snaps
23snaps is a private image sharing app for parents that gives parents a safe way to capture special moments. Users can then share the images with whomever they wish, keeping them away from prying eyes.
- Likee
Likee, formerly marketed as LIKE, is a Singapore-based short video content platform like TikTok. The social app includes visual effects like 4D Magic and Dynamic Stickers, along with video recording and editing features.
- 8tracks
8tracks is an internet radio and social networking site that lets users create, share, and stream user-curated playlists of at least eight tracks. It’s free to create an account so you can browse and listen to curated playlists as well as create your own. There is also a subscription service, 8tracks Plus, available in the US and Canada.
- Academia
Academia is a platform for academics and researchers to share academic research. Users have uploaded more than 22 million papers and the platform has 129 million active users every month. It started as a free and open repository of academic journal articles but now charges fees to get authors in contact with those who want to read their research.
- Amikumu
Amikumu is a cross-platform app that can be used to find people nearby who speak or are learning certain languages. The app was originally created for Esperanto speakers but quickly expanded to include speakers of all languages. The app has members in more than 130 countries speaking nearly 600 languages. Amikumu’s purpose is to create a social network where speakers and signers can find and share relevant information locally.