If you haven’t heard of noplace (yes, the lowercase spelling is intentional) yet, don’t worry, there’s a chance it could well be the ‘next big thing’ very soon.
The social media app shot to the top of the app charts recently, beating out heavy hitters such as Temu and TikTok, albeit briefly.
We take a look at the app, and what it offers to differentiate itself from other social media platforms.
What is noplace?
noplace is a social media platform that is aimed squarely at Gen Z, offering up a refreshingly stripped back interface that will be familiar to anyone that spent way too much time online in the early 2000s. In fact, there’s one particular social media platform of yesteryear that it has clearly drawn inspiration from – MySpace.
While MySpace may have been side lined over the years by the likes of Facebook and Twitter, the meteoric rise of noplace shows that there is still a degree of nostalgia for the more simple approach.
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noplace is the creation of CEO Tiffany Zhong, who made the Forbes ’30 under 30′ list in 2020 for her work with Zebra IQ, a company that helps brands connect with Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
You Can’t Do Much on noplace (At the Moment)
Frankly, the list of things you can’t do on noplace right now is far greater than what you can. The app, barely a week old at the time of writing, is still in its infancy and is barebones. It’s a welcome break from the overbearing feature bloat that curses a lot of social media platforms, but for some, it might be too scant.
Let’s tackle the big issue first – you can’t post photos or videos. While you can add a profile picture of yourself, you can’t add images, gifs or videos to your feed, which is a bold move in a market where visual content is king. It’s no coincidence that the largest social media platform for noplace’s target generation, TikTok, is based solely on viral video content, and its absence could well hurt the app.
What you CAN do, is chat with friends, tell the world who your favorite artist is, and brag about your top 10 friends (another feature swiped wholesale from MySpace). It’s also possible to chat with other users of the app who you’re not linked to.
It’s also awash with customisability options for your profile page. In fact, check out most user reviews of the app, and at some point you’ll come across glowing words about its ‘aesthetic’, which appears to be one of the main selling points of the platform.
noplace has a levels system, which is the app’s gamification angle, rewarding users for spending more time on the app and engaging with others. Your level is displayed on your profile, so it’s easy to show off your noplace credentials.
Word of warning – if you have an Android device, you’re out of luck, as right now the only place to get noplace is on Apple devices.
Is noplace the Next TikTok?
In a word, no. Despite both being aimed at a savvy Generation Z audience that makes social media an integral part of their lives, the two platforms are actually quite different in intent. TikTok relies on viral moments, making stars of its creators, while its algorithm means any user could be the next person to be plucked from obscurity, thanks to a ten-second video.
It’s worth noting though that TikTok has been instrumental in nospace’s success to date. In the build up to the official launch of the app, the brand’s TikTok account has amassed over 100,000 subscribers, and five million likes across its promotional video content.
noplace doesn’t have that viral aspect to it, mostly because it’s text based. It’s hard to imagine a user’s noplace message taking off outside the platform and becoming a viral meme…
However, what noplace does have in its favor is that it’s refreshingly corporation free. It many ways it’s this, rather than the aesthetic of the app, that gives it that early 2000’s vibe. You’re not going to be served adverts on the platform (at least not yet), or come across large companies trying to infiltrate the app to sell you their wares. Again, not yet. How long this lasts depends on how popular the app becomes.
It’s also a fairly small venture. According to the company’s LinkedIn page, there are currently only two members of staff working at noplace, and that’s going to make scaling up at speed a serious task.
The fate of noplace depends on word of mouth and momentum. It might not be the next TikTok, but there could still be a space in the social media landscape for noplace.
