By: Joshua Finley

Social discovery app Yubo focuses on generating meaningful, fun, and interactive friendships via a focus on communication versus Likes.

The 21st century’s highly digital communications are a game changer. Today, smartphone users can quickly connect with friends anywhere on the planet. Maybe a friend is across town or is attending school in another state. Perhaps they recently moved to another country. Regardless of the friend’s location, reaching them only takes a few seconds.

An increasing number of Gen Zers take digitally enhanced friendships to the next level. These digital natives are quite comfortable with online-only friendships, valuing them as equal to in-person get-togethers. Here, Yubo, a live social discovery app, discusses the multiple benefits of online friendships. Yubo also highlights the significance of social discovery in the social media arena.

4 Key Benefits of Online Friendships

Online friendship popularity grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. Locked-down Gen Zers are unable to see their friends in person and are kept in touch via social media. Isolated teens and young adults began cultivating online-only connections. Here, Yubo emphasizes online friendships’ four important benefits.

Non-Judgmental Personal Interactions

Engaging in a virtual conversation is often easier compared to an in-person exchange. On a virtual platform, both parties often feel more comfortable sharing their personal stories. Through honest, authentic conversations, both parties can gradually build trust, an important factor in building a solid friendship.

Similar Interests that Spark Conversations

Maybe both Gen Zers enjoy a similar hobby, music style, or favorite foods. Perhaps they share a commitment to a specific cause. Any type of common ground can help the conversation to flow. And if both parties are focused on a singular goal, they’ll have a built-in support system while working to achieve it. 

Exposure to Diverse Cultural Experiences

Meeting Gen Zers from diverse countries provides exposure to different cultures. Learning about another culture’s customs and cuisine can be an enriching experience. If different languages are in play, practicing words and phrases can be a fun exercise.

Introverts’ Higher Comfort Level

Shy Gen Zers often feel more comfortable with online friendships. These virtual interactions enable each user to chat with others without feeling pressure from face-to-face conversations. Successful virtual engagements may help introverts become more confident in communicating online and in the real world.

Social Discovery Enters the Social Media Mainstream

On any social media platform, identifying those with similar interests facilitates an easier, more satisfying conversation. This is the essence of social discovery, an increasingly popular sector of the global social media arena. 

The Yubo live social discovery platform is built on finding common ground with other users. Rather than limiting connections to existing users, Yubo’s app provides multiple ways for online Gen Zers to form new friendships. In addition, popularity-based “likes” and “follows” are nowhere to be found.

Emphasis on Authentic User Connections

Instead, Yubo emphasizes authentic user connections between users currently on the platform. By asking users to share a few details about their interests, user conversations are more likely to begin on common ground.

Sacha Lazimi noted that Gen Zers’ love of authenticity, and their desire for real-time online engagement, has made them embrace Yubo’s approach. That said, Lazimi said the social discovery model should appeal to diverse age groups.

Yubo’s Strategy is Paying Off

By all accounts, Yubo’s approach is paying off. Since the platform’s 2015 launch, users from over 100 countries have embraced the Yubo app’s offerings. Today, the majority of Yubo users hail from the United States, Australia, and Europe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yubo’s app engagement saw a remarkable surge in growth. This spurred Yubo’s leadership team to add more social discovery features and functionalities. 

Yubo’s CEO Puts Social Discovery into Perspective

In a May 2024 Yahoo! Finance article, Yubo Chief Executive Officer (or CEO) Sacha Lazimi said the app’s social discovery model lays the foundation for a new online networking paradigm. “The next wave of online networking will reflect a growing demand for fulfilling human connections on a one-to-one basis or within small groups. At Yubo, we consider ourselves pioneers in this next era, and social discovery is the foundation of this emerging phase,” Sacha Lazimi remarked.

Yubo’s Focus on Active Engagement

Many social media platforms encourage passive consumption, or viewing of content without user interactions. However, Yubo follows the opposite strategy, providing three avenues for users to enjoy real-time engagement. This helps users feel a sense of community.

The Add by Tag Feature

Finding others with similar interests sets the stage for conversation. When each user builds their Yubo profile, they select applicable topic tags. When other users search for those traits or interests, all relevant users’ names will appear. To date, more than millions of users have selected this Add by Tag feature.

Personal User Chats

Each personalized user chat is similar to a real-life conversation. Here, two Yubo users first create a friendship on the Yubo app. This opens the door to a wide-ranging chat. Of course, both users must follow the Yubo Community Guidelines. Every user aims to adhere to these conduct standards while signing up to use the Yubo platform.

Popular Live Streams

Yubo live streams are becoming the talk of the social media universe. In fact, these “Lives” are the Yubo app’s frequently used communication medium. Each Yubo Live enables one to 10 users to stream at once. Some users show off their art or play a favorite instrument. Others comment on a newsworthy topic or discuss a cause that inspires them.

Any number of users can comment on a specific livestream. For perspective, Yubo CEO Sacha Lazimi noted that 95 percent of Yubo’s livestreaming rooms contain actively engaged users. This directly contrasts with other platforms’ livestreams, which frequently feature one person broadcasting solo to their audience.

A Multi-Component Safety Focus

Yubo maintains an industry-leading online user safety program. First, thorough age verification ensures users are who they claim to be. Once inside the app, human Safety Specialists and AI tools monitor user interactions, alerting those about to post harmful or otherwise inappropriate content. Real-time livestream audio and video moderation, combined with user incident reporting tools, contribute to improved user safety.

Finally, the Yubo Safety Board provides ongoing and as-needed safety guidance. This respected panel is composed of online safety experts from organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, INTERPOL, Thorn, and The Diana Award. Yubo also conducts safety initiatives with non-profits and other organizations across the globe.

Yubo CEO Sacha Lazimi emphasizes that although features and functionalities are important, user safety always takes center stage. “Safety is our priority…We want our users to feel like they are part of an inclusive environment where community guidelines are enforced and they can just focus on hanging out,” Sacha Lazimi concluded.

 

Published by: Khy Talara