The government’s prohibition of Chinese apps, coupled with concerns over data privacy among users, has spurred a rising demand for home grown networking apps. This app ban has not only prompted a shift in user preferences but has also opened up numerous opportunities within the Indian market. Consequently, both existing and new players in the industry have been able to leverage this situation to scale and expand their businesses.
Social media has seamlessly woven into daily life, with individuals dedicating roughly 12 hours each day to their smartphones. The pervasive influence of social media is evident in numerous lives. A study reveals that half of individuals aged twelve to Thirteen maintain social networking profiles, spanning platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It’s not exclusive to the younger demographic; individuals across ages and professions utilize these platforms for communication. Social networking sites have become a universal medium for connection, extending beyond youth to encompass a diverse range of users. This widespread adoption emphasizes the integral role social media plays in contemporary communication practices across various age groups and professional backgrounds. Here are the best Indian home grown social networking platform to watch out in 2023:
Khul Ke: Khul Ke, a homegrown India-centric social networking platform officially launched in October 2023, aims to be a medium where the people of India can come together, share their views, and engage in open conversations in an era where social media has the potential to bring about tremendous change. Khul Ke’s vision is to be tap into the potential of the existing vast social networks and its mission is to create an ecosystems across different sectors such as education, sports, health, law, judiciary and more.
The app currently has 167K downloads, with a user base of 1MN, featuring approximately 36,974 daily active users and nearly 1,78,791 content creators or people actively posting on the platform. Khul Ke is a dynamic platform with a variety of features, that includes an audio-visual long-format feature, a short-video creation feature, a virtual meeting feature, messaging feature, and a microblogging feature that allows users to share updates, connect with each other, and stay updated with the latest events.
App Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.khulke.app&hl=en&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/khul-ke-social-networking-app/id1590836834
Hunch: Launched in December 2022, Hunch is a new-age, anonymous social discovery app that aims to usher in a new era of social interactions where young individuals can freely express their uniqueness and inquire without any judgment. Today’s social media environment is filled with critiques preventing people from being authentic and expressing themselves freely. Hunch addresses this by enabling its users to get answers to questions that are often difficult to ask in real life, in the form of polls. Each poll on the app serves as a way of kickstarting a conversation allowing the users to discover diverse opinions and people to connect with – all anonymously.
With more than 7 Lakh downloads at the moment, the app serves young adults between 18 to 25 years. 115,000+ polls have been generated till now, garnering over one crore opinions through user votes nationwide
App Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=social.hunch.app&hl=en&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/hunch-find-friends-who-get-you/id6444654663
ShareChat: the short video platform, backed by Google LIc, was launched in 2015 is a regional social network allowing users to share their opinions, record their lives and make new friends – all within the comfort of their native languages. It subsequently acquired Times Internet-backed MX Taka Tak in 2022. Currently, the app has 180 million monthly active users and over 100Million+ downloads. The app is aimed at providing users with an unmatchable networking experience in their native language. Initially, ShareChat primarily worked as a content sharing platform, without any scope of users generating their own content. In April 2016, however, ShareChat enabled user-generated content creation on its platform, allowing its users to share their own posters and creative content.
App Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.mohalla.sharechat&hl=en&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/sharechat-videos-status/id1440640105
Rooter: Homegrown gaming and e-sports content platform, is a very unique product and has built a strong moat for its business with fans and community-driven content. India’s only and biggest User Generated Content platform for Sports and Gaming. Founded in 2016, it recently achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first gaming content platform in India to surpass 50 million downloads on the Google Play store. Currently, it is the fastest growing gaming app with around 50 Million+ downloads.
Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.threesixteen.app&hl=en&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/rooter-watch-gaming-esports/id1115677906
Dollywood Play: Dubbed is the new original and we are here to serve the audience with a plethora of choices! With movies ranging from nail-biting horrors to heartwarming romances to action-packed thrillers to rib-tickling comedies and lots more across South India and Hollywood, they have it all and they have it in Hindi. Entertainment is for everyone, so why let the language be a barrier? This Hindi Diwas, treat yourself with a full-on dose of mass entertainment only on Dollywood Play. The app is available on Play Store, App Store, Airtel Xtreme, Jio Fiber, OTT Play and Sabot.
Link:
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/dollywood-play/id1266574888
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wamindia.dollywoodplay
Source: PR Agency
