Survey Says Social Discovery Apps Like Yubo Are Among Gen Z's Favorite Forms of Entertainment

A Deloitte survey of more than 22,000 participants in 44 countries found that social media apps are a part of the online daily life of Generation Z. Social media serves as a space for self-expression and connection. Yubo, the Paris-based live social discovery app, is a top pick for Gen Z, who have never known a world without the internet and make up approximately 99% of the app's users.

Scrolling social media is one of Gen Z's favorite ways to enjoy their free time. The survey found that only 10% of Gen Z likes to watch TV or movies to relax, whereas 11% choose social media.

Social media platforms are also where they feel the most like themselves. Yubo was created to make it easy for Gen Z to expand their online social circles with new friends from around the world. It offers a variety of features that promote online interactions, such as live streaming, group chats, and the ability to join virtual hangouts.

As a global platform with users in more than 140 countries, it lets its members explore the world and interact with new people from their homes via livestreams. The amount of viewers in a livestream is unlimited. And, during a livestream, up to 10 people can participate with the host. There are thousands of livestreams happening on the app for users to join every day.

Social Media Is Shaping Gen Z's Identities

The social media needs of Gen Z are more advanced than those of the generations that came before them. Being in the same place is no longer a prerequisite for socialization. Gen Z uses digital platforms to find people worldwide who share similar interests and ideas, and one like Yubo makes it easy for them to make new connections and form new friendships.

Claire Madden—an author and social researcher in generational engagement—is a leading authority on Gen Z. According to Madden's book Hello Gen Z: Engaging the Generation of Post-Millennials, there's no real barrier between online and offline for Gen Z. Social media is so entwined into their everyday lives that many find it easier to communicate online with their peers than they do face-to-face. The frequency of their online interactions helps forge social connections.

Because Gen Z's identity is tied to their activity on social media, it drives them to continue their engagement on different platforms. In Madden's study, some of Gen Z indicated increased desensitization to real-life events because of the inundation on social media of updates on everything from relationship status, memes, and pop culture trends to political opinions and current affairs.

Many social media platforms generate steady content feeds and news—and regularly subject users to targeted advertising and sponsored posts. Beyond that, these sites focus on connecting users to those already in their orbit.

For those looking for something different, Yubo is a live social discovery app created without traditional approval metrics, such as followers and likes. By eliminating those recognizable approval metrics, the app is positioned to help its users be themselves authentically.

This means that members can establish genuine friendships free from the pressure of performance. The live social discovery app is user-friendly and allows users to filter profiles for specific locations and genders effortlessly. It has an easy-to-use swiping feature that enables members to swipe left or right on the profiles of other users in their age group and direct messages to them.

Genuine connections are the foundation for authentic friendships. The app users can be true to themselves and allow others to do the same. It's good to share your thoughts and feelings with your friends and encourage them to do the same. The live social discovery platform can be a valuable tool for creating natural connections through shared experiences. Since it fosters genuine connections, its members can create profiles highlighting their interests and hobbies.

According to the live social discovery app, "At Yubo, we believe that authentic connections are substantial to building a happier and more connected world." By promoting a sense of community and belonging, the social discovery platform can promote genuine connections that go deeper than the surface level.

Yubo Prioritizes People Over Content

The live social discovery app's founders—Sacha Lazimi, Jérémie Aouate, and Arthur Patora—were inspired to create a digital social media space that mimicked the best of real offline interactions. Since the first version of the live social discovery app launched in 2015, it's prioritized people over content, genuine connections over followers, and real-time interactions over likes.

It's customizable, and users can control the content they view on the app. "As a woman in tech, I am happy that Yubo is taking part in the change we want to see," Marie Tran, the company's former head of data science and engineering, posted on LinkedIn. "That means working in an environment that recognizes performance without disabling work-life balance and treating people equally, fairly, with respect."

The generation of digital natives is tech-savvy, socially conscious, and a bit impatient, so the app doesn't make anyone wait. That's another feature that sets the live social discovery app apart from traditional apps: Users can instantly interact with other members currently on the platform. Yubo eliminates the need to wait for message replies or new posts.

"We're all about real-time interactions," stated Patora, the app's chief technology officer. "It's very important for us to move fast because we really try to make sure that when we have an idea, we act on it by keeping it simple and testing it quickly. This kind of agility is a key part of our culture."

Yubo considers online user safety its top priority and focuses on making the experience as safe as possible for everyone. "For us, it's really, really important to make Yubo a safe place for young people to meet and interact online," emphasized Patora. "There are three pillars to making sure our users are safe: prevention, detection, and moderation."

The social discovery app is available on Android and iOS for those ready to go live.