How To Make A Social Media App?

Everyone, from brands to celebrities, seems to be on social media these days. Recent statistics show that more than 53.6 percent of the world’s population is on social media, which is more than 4 billion people, which is a lot.
In addition, this number is growing by 13% each year, which means that there will be 420 million more people in the United States from January 2020 to January 2021. A lot of people want to make apps for social media. Even though Facebook is still the most popular, the question of how to make a social media app that would give people unique experiences is still important.
You can still be creative when you build platforms for people to talk to each other. The hype around a new social media app called Clubhouse proved that. Let’s consider the following characteristics of social media app development.
What motivates people to use social media?
Networking
People must maintain contact with their reference groups and relevant communities, and networking services are ideal for this. LinkedIn focuses on professional groups based on shared interests and identities, whereas Facebook is more flexible.
If you want to start your own social platform, you should look at undiscovered niches where networking is critical.
Sharing memorable moments
It’s no secret that 80 percent of human perception is visual, therefore photo-sharing platforms like Instagram are destined to flourish. Sharing photographs and photos is a wonderful technique to create deep ties and get followers since the image delivers emotional information in an intuitive and simple manner.
Writing and reading
Blogging services allow people to post and share original material by connecting writers with viewers. The benefits are mutual: writers and bloggers gain exposure, while viewers receive daily delivery of fascinating and insightful material.
Quick content sharing
Some people enjoy news discussions that are quick and to the point. That is why microblogging platforms maintain a consistent fan and follower base.
Twitter, for example, is a household name that everyone is familiar with. Tumblr, on the other hand, allows users to share graphics and statements that reflect their personalities and hobbies.
Sharing videos
People are acquiring a thirst for different types of video material, as evidenced by TikTok’s growing popularity. Visual communication is simple and allows subscribers to empathize with blogger characters right away. Even if YouTube is the world’s second-largest network, there is still an opportunity for something new.
Discussion forums
People need to share their views and ideas about anything, from practical difficulties to religious matters, in addition to news and content sharing.
Social networking software with discussion boards satisfies a basic human desire to express themselves and be heard. That is why apps like Quora will always have a devoted following.
Reviews and testimonials
Some people may be interested in being a pioneer and discovering something new. Others, on the other hand, prefer to rely on user reviews and comments about restaurants, hotels, venues, and travel places rather than taking chances.
Social review services also provide businesses with channels for marketing their products and obtaining publicity, which is why applications like Yelp are so popular.
Hobbies
Some social media sites cater to specific human interests. Some are aimed at readers, while others are aimed at music fans. Although such platforms will only appeal to a select group of people, they will have strong user retention rates.
Dating
Using social media to find dates and relationships is never going out of style. If you’re looking for social media app ideas, consider creating a dating network that makes it easier to find partners.
Collaboration
Individuals can generate money by offering services and using services provided by others through collaborative networks. For example, Airbnb allows users to rent out their properties, meet new people, and travel to new places.
Anonymity
Although anonymous social platforms may not have a large following, certain audiences will appreciate the ability to express themselves without revealing their true name.
Such apps are extremely popular among kids and teenagers, so you might want to consider developing one for them.
Basic features Your Social Media App Should Have
There is one thing that all social networking apps have in common. Even if you have a unique concept, your app will almost certainly require some basic functionalities in order to function. These features are frequently utilized as a foundation, with more advanced and exceptional capabilities added on top.
1. Synchronization with existing social media platforms
To begin, you should make your product accessible simply and conveniently. In this scenario, using other social media accounts to register could speed up the procedure. The majority of your users are already on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, thus enabling this feature will allow them to sign up for your app in under 2 seconds.
Importing users’ data and contacts from other social media platforms is another option to expand your app’s user base.
2. Personal information
Every social networking app needs personal accounts because they enable users to identify themselves and increase the legitimacy of the content they publish.
This could be a basic profile with a photo, username, and brief bio, or it could include more specific information about the person, such as interests, preferences, location, number of followers/friends, and current activity.
3. Relationships
Your app is a social media app if it allows users to “friend” or “follow” other users. Users normally need to accept becoming friends, whereas following is usually a one-way procedure.
Users can also connect based on their common interests, groups they belong to, or location. Some apps also allow you to add friends from other social media platforms.
4. Ability to share user-generated content
The ability to publish or produce content, whether text, photographs, videos, audio, or all of the above, is probably the most crucial feature of any social media program. Keep it basic, like Twitter or YikYak, by limiting the quantity of text that may be shared.
On the other hand, you can go large and include extra features, such as photo filters, stickers, or even live to broadcast, as Periscope does. Posts with a limited lifetime (pioneered by Snapchat) are a significant trend in social media. They disappear after a certain amount of time.
5. Information feed
This is where you’ll find the content. The updates from your connections or subscriptions are usually displayed on your news feed, however, there may be some trending items from other individuals outside of your social networking app. You can display the content in chronological order or apply sophisticated algorithms to personalize the feed and prioritize the news for a specific user. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for example, organize their news feed from most important to least essential.
Some apps also provide customized content recommendations based on your tastes and interests, which are determined by machine learning algorithms.
6. Interaction between the users and content
Allow your users to interact with the published material in your app, such as like, remark, repost, or reply to it, to increase engagement. This helps to build a sense of community inside your app and keeps users engaged. Indeed, why share something when you have no idea if it has been seen?
7. Suggestions and search
You enable your users to expand their networks and discover new material by providing search tools. They can look for other users by name, gender, age, location, and interests, as well as join groups they were unaware of.
Users can utilize contextual search to identify relevant material; in this scenario, hashtags or keyword searches are likely to be the most useful feature. Pinterest is a good example of a sophisticated search option: it organizes all of the content by topic, so you can go to Gifts or Art and look at all of the images related to the topic. Furthermore, you can add keywords to narrow down your search.
8. Messaging
This functionality is optional in some social media apps. Chat, on the other hand, brings a whole new level of interpersonal connection, particularly on social media. Unlike comments that are visible to other users, this could be utilized as a private conversation area.
Although not everyone uses private messaging on Twitter, Facebook chat has grown to the point where it has been separated into its own app, Messenger.
9. Notifications and alerts
Alerts inform users about activity on their app and encourage them to return to check for fresh updates. People must be allowed to choose which notifications they want to receive and, if required, unsubscribe from them.
10. Geotagging
Geotagging allows users to share their current position on social media platforms and notify their friends and family. Because some people see location data as highly sensitive, it is best to make this feature optional.
Summing Up
The market for social media applications is constantly evolving. Due to its untapped potential, it is constantly expanding to accommodate new networks. Contemporary trends continue to shape the model for new sorts of social media programs aimed at meeting the expanding needs of their potential consumers. Hence, if you already have a concept that only needs the right software vendor to implement it, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will help you with social media app development.