Social networks have transformed until they all resemble each other. The use of reels and stories as the main formats, the possibility of creating verified accounts or the death of the timeline in favor of advertising and to the detriment of the accounts you follow, are some of the characteristics that Facebook, TikTok or Instagram have adopted in the last times. In the latter, especially, the algorithms, the number of followers or the number of likes that position a publication, have a determining weight for content creators.
Luckily, various alternatives to Instagram have been emerging in parallel with the aim of attracting users who once enjoyed this social network, without taking into account any type of metric when publishing. These are applications that favor true immediacy over planning, authentic socialization over individualism, and unfiltered naturalness over posturing. Next, we review some of the newest apps that, who knows if they will become the social networks of the Alpha generation.
BeReal has been one of the pioneering social networks in selling spontaneity and unpredictability as its greatest added value. The a priori rules are simple: share without filters what you do at a certain moment... Chosen by the application itself. BeReal sends its users a daily notification, at a random time, urging you to take a photo in less than two minutes. Applications like Minutiae have reproduced this format.
The app captures a double image at the same time, from your external camera and a selfie. As you see, it is difficult to plan the perfect photo and you are forced to improvise and be creative. After those two minutes, your timeline updates so you can see in real time what your friends are doing. When a new notification arrives, BeReal resets and the photos from the previous day disappear.
Of course, BeReal incorporates some classic features such as location sharing, reacting with emojis or commenting on your friends' photos. The recreational component is accentuated with the sometimes setting of challenges with extraordinary prizes. Of course, this particular monotony means that many of its users end up playing when they feel like it... And returning to Instagram to share those moments. It is available for Android and iOS.
Daylyy is one of the latest to arrive in the social media ecosystem. It is defined as an application suitable for “people hungry for authenticity” and represents a return to the origins of Instagram. As in BeReal, you can only share photos in real time, as it does not allow the uploading of previously rehearsed or edited photos from your camera roll. The application, available for Android and iOS, currently has more than 47,000 active users.
We can talk about Daylyy as the social network without, since it lacks metrics, filters, algorithms and even comments! Praising a friend's post requires sending them a private message, which encourages more intimate socialization and removes any pressure. However, what Daylyy does have is advertising, although this is totally organic, since companies play by the same rules as the rest of the users.
Although it is not even a social network, Locket is an improved version of Instagram's 'Best Friends' function. This iOS application, designed by student Matt Ross as a gift for his girlfriend, allows you to send photos to the home screen of your friends' mobile phones. As it does? Well, using Apple's Widget system. You can only have 20 friends from your inner circle and Locket gives you the option to add custom widgets with photos sent to you by a specific person. Don't tell me it's not an original idea!
