Is this app Instagram's newest Rival?
Instagram, The photo-sharing app that took the world by storm and became one of the most popular social platforms.
In the past year, I have noticed a significant change in the vibes of Instagram. What does that mean? For years there has been more and more discussion regarding the toxic culture Instagram pushes on young users. It seems like with every update I personally begin to enjoy the app less and less. My feed that used to be filled with my friends and influencers updates and fun moments has shifted to constant advertising and overly edited photos of people “living their best lives”. As a marketer, I see it as a fantastic form of advertising and promotion to products when utilized in the right way. But as a user, I have much less willingness to post as much as I once used to. The algorithm is mostly to blame for this as Instagram decides what posts I get to see, those posts are usually influencer posts or memes rather than people I know. The only part of the app I still enjoy is the Story mode that was inspired by Snapchat stories that feel less orchestrated and produced.
Millennials and Gen-Zers crave authenticity and value living in the moment more than ever after being starved of social connection most of their lives. With Instagram filters and social media celebrities pushing an unrealistic image of reality, the app's users are becoming more and more uncomfortable while using the platform.
Are disposable cameras cool again?
24-year-old youtube star, David Dobrik, got his start on Vine and eventually moved his fanbase to youtube where he began daily vlogging. What made him stand out was his group of friends, often referred to as the “VlogSquad” and their extremely entertaining adventures. Dobrik has 18.8 million subscribers on youtube and a total of 8.23 Billion views. He has been known to surprise his friends and family with cars and feature celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Josh Peck from nickelodeons Drake and Josh in his vlogs.
In recent years Millennials have shown interest and adopted the 90’s and 00’s iconic style trend and love anything nostalgic. Dispo embraced the beginning of social photography in the form of a disposable camera and brings social media back to basics. Snap a photo and go back to having fun and being in the moment. Your photos will “develop” (so you won’t have time to look through the pictures for hours while with your friends) and will be delivered to your inbox at 9 am the next morning in the form of rolls.
Thanks to Davids's fan base and connections, he was able to raise $20 million after a Venture Capital Firm gave them a $200 million valuation. To promote the official launch of the app this past week, David played himself in the future and created a sentimental ad showing the viewers the value of holding on to memories through photos.
I think young users will definitely be drawn to this new concept. The real question is — will it stick or is it just a short-term trend? David has the following and support of millions of young adults and teens which is why if anyone can be the face of a successful social media app, it would be him. This is a very solid start and with the right additions and modifications, along with users being willing to stay consistent and social in the app — I think it can definitely grow and become a competitor to Instagram.
As of now, Dispo is invite-only, similar to another new app that came about just weeks prioR, Clubhouse. It's interesting to see how the next “big thing” in tech is anything that brings human connection back to basics. We are coming into 2021 more aware of ourselves and our needs which is very exciting to see and I look forward to seeing how the next year plays out in tech and marketing as a whole.
