The new social media platform noplace, designed for Gen Z, has topped the US Apple App Store downloads following its official launch. This new app has captured the attention of Gen Z users with its unique platform that combines elements of the old Twitter, now known as X, and the classic social network, Myspace. Its appeal lies in the fresh way it allows users to express themselves through their interests, hobbies, and MBTI personality types, offering a blend of old and new social media features.
On the 4th, TechCrunch reported that “noplace, which aims to revive the social aspect in social media, topped the App Store free downloads on the day of its official launch.” Noplace started its beta service at the end of last year, initially only allowing invited users to join, similar to how Clubhouse once stirred a frenzy with its invitation-only model.
It features a text-feed-based like X but doesn’t have retweets or likes for sharing posts. The feed is divided into two, showing friend accounts and all user posts separately. It’s also designed for easy sharing of current happenings rather than past events, such as updating current status when arriving in a new city or finding a concert. No private setting exists, so all posts are exposed to the public.
Creating a profile on noplace is also unique. Like Facebook, users can disclose their age, birthday, gender, and relationship status, but the profile primarily comprises interests. When users select more than three interests, such as MBTI, hobbies, and fandoms, feeds from users with common interests are displayed. Another distinctive feature is the ability to express the profile in one’s unique color.
TechCrunch described the platform as a modern version of Myspace, designed to be open to anyone looking to connect over shared interests. They noted that Gen Z, who missed out on Myspace’s notoriously confusing customization features, seems to be experiencing a sense of nostalgia for past social networking experiences.
Noplace started with a team of seven. Its founder is Tiffany Zhong, a woman in her 20s. Zhong dropped out of UC Berkeley and jumped into the Silicon Valley startup scene. Before founding noplace, she established and operated Pineapple Capital, an early-stage consumer fund.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Zhong said, “I think that part of the magical, fun part of the internet is gone now. Everything is very uniform.” She added that finding a community has become more difficult due to highly personalized content. Zhong explained that noplace aims to bridge this gap by connecting users based on shared interests.
Whether noplace can settle in the market remains uncertain. It could become a social media that, like Clubhouse, enjoyed flash popularity and disappeared. noplace has not established a solid revenue model or launched an Android app. There are also many competing social networks targeting Gen Z. However, some believe noplace could become another startup success story amid the upheaval in the social media market, as Meta’s Threads secured 175 million monthly active users within a year of its launch, narrowing the gap with X, and TikTok faces a business shutdown crisis in the US. According to Pitchbook, Noplace has raised $19 million in Series A1 round, and its company value is $75 million.
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