Are Gen Z social media apps sustainable long-term?

"Speaking to Business Insider, the company explained that it was tapping into a new way of sharing that resonates with Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Locket wants to prioritise actual, human posts that are shared between friends, rather than corporate content that now dominates the main platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. This move toward genuine connection shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that follows Gen Z tastes and trends."

"For those who don't remember, the app would send a notification once a day to take a picture of whatever you were up to, with no filters, second takes, or curated feeds. It was fun - while it lasted. By 2025 the buzz had all but died, perhaps serving as a cautionary tale to other platforms looking to bring in a young audience while also steering away from corporate content."

Locket is launching Rollcall, a feature that enables users to share weekly photo dumps with close friends that are automatically removed after seven days. The feature targets Gen Z and Gen Alpha preferences for intimate, human-centered sharing over corporate-driven content on major platforms. Younger users increasingly seek one-on-one, authentic experiences to combat loneliness and isolation. The initial popularity of anti-Instagram experiments like BeReal demonstrated appetite for authenticity but also showed limited long-term momentum. Platforms face a core tension between sustaining private, ephemeral communities and achieving profitability without reverting to traditional ad-driven models. Creating an economically sustainable space for private sharing remains difficult for startups.

Read at Thred Website