Historically, people have met new friends through acquaintances, coworkers, and leisure interests. But in the last 25 years, technology has changed all that. And since 98% of Generation Z — people born between 1997 and 2012 — use social media, according to a McKinsey Health Institute report, and 54% of them spend four or more hours a day on social platforms, noted business intelligence company the Morning Consult, it’s necessary to explore how and why young people are growing their social media circles.
Yubo is a live social discovery app embraced by 80 million members spanning more than 140 countries, and Gen Z comprises 99% of those users. Much like traditional social media platforms, it allows users to build a profile, swipe on others, and send private messages. However, the Paris-based app sets itself apart. It’s carving its own path in the crowded market by offering livestreaming features and emphasizing authenticity without the pressure of producing content.
Sacha Lazimi, CEO of the live social discovery app, explained that Yubo’s purpose is “to empower young people to socialize and create friendships in the digital world the same way they would in real life.”
The app is available on Android and Apple devices. The main features of the app are free. However, users can buy YuBucks to expand their experience on the platform with premium features and exclusives.
Yubo Embraces the Social Aspect of Social Media
The live social discovery app endeavors to put the social aspect back in social media. In 2015, Lazimi, together with friends Jérémie Aouate and Arthur Patora, co-founded what was then known as Yellow when they were engineering students at CentraleSupélec Graduate School of the Paris-Saclay University and Télécom Paris.
The enterprising trio’s goal was to make it easy for Gen Z to expand their social circles by making it a breeze to find and connect with new friends anywhere in the world. It was also vital to be an all-inclusive app that mimics the organic way friendships occur between people offline.
It’s an excellent app for young people to have fun, livestream, and play games. Participating in a livestream is a great way to find new friends, minus any anxiety or pressure to perform for likes. Lazimi and his team purposely designed the app without traditional approval metrics such as likes or follower counts, which are common on numerous other performance-based social network platforms.
The live social discovery app is easy to use. It’s a fun, inclusive virtual space, which makes it perfect for users seeking a community of like-minded people. Members can filter profiles by location and gender. It also utilizes a swiping feature that allows users to swipe left or right on other profiles in their same age group. If two people swipe right on each other, they can instantly begin communication via the chat feature.
The app makes it easy for users to expand their social circle and find like-minded friends. The platform’s search feature allows users to explore subgroups for all the things Gen Z stans in music, TV, sports, and gaming.
As one of the fastest-growing platforms for young people to grow their social circles, the live social discovery app understands it has a special responsibility to its users. It’s focused on protecting, supporting, and educating the millions of teens in its worldwide community. As a platform serving teens and young adults, it focuses on giving users as safe an experience as possible. Yubo groups its users based on age to limit interaction between younger users and older adults.
Livestreaming Capabilities
The live social discovery app’s preeminent livestreaming capabilities are noteworthy. Up to 10 people can participate with the streamer and the amount of viewers who can tune in is limitless. The live social discovery app is the first social media platform to introduce real-time audio and video moderation for the livestreams. It also supplements its ample variety of technical tools and safety features with oversight from human Safety Specialists to proactively monitor the platform 24/7. The platform’s community is highly inclusive and has zero tolerance for online hate.
So, how do people use the app’s livestreaming function? The majority of users like to go live in small groups to hang out with friends and meet new people. However, some use livestreams to host talent shows, game nights, debates, and meet and greets, while others prefer to host solo livestreams to talk to viewers, tell jokes, and share stories. It’s completely customizable so users can let their true selves shine. And since the app is extremely popular with young people, it’s important to note that streamers can only join the livestream if the host has asked them to connect.
“Gen Z is ushering in a new, boundaryless type of event — one they can watch wherever they are, whenever and however they want to watch,” stated Marie Marchand, the live social discovery app’s community and social media lead. “This is something that is becoming more and more evident for Gen Z, as people turn in to stream Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour from their phones on the other side of the world, [or] react to Met Gala outfits in real time.”
Lazimi said, “One of Yubo’s goals is to combat loneliness among teenagers and young adults by enabling them to meet new people online and make friends.”
He stated, “Since the onset of Yubo, we’ve believed in being a platform where there is a space for everyone. It’s important that younger generations feel seen, accepted, and have methods of expressing themselves, especially in online and digital environments.”
And it’s doing just that. According to Alex, an 18-year-old user, “Since I joined in 2019, Yubo has had a special place in my life. It’s where I can be myself, be true about my interests, and share my hopes and dreams with other people in my community. Through Yubo, I’ve met new friends from around the world and connected further with other members of the LGBTQ+ community on the app.”
Alex added, “Yubo is consistently building an even more inclusive platform to connect, inspire, and share your life with others.”
