Within society today, it’d be hard not to find someone who isn’t using an app of some sort every day. According to Gravitee’s interactive web page, the top 10 most popular apps in the USA at the moment are Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Telegram, Zoom, Snapchat, Capcut, and Google meet.
What these apps have in common is that they all offer a way for people to communicate with each other. The dominance of social media has created an unprecedented level of connectivity across the globe which will surely change how we live our lives in the future.
Let’s take a look at some of these popular apps, the implications of the rise in popularity of these apps, and how they will shape our world going forward.
TikTok
TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create, watch, and share 15-second videos shot on cell phones. With its personalized feeds of quirky short videos set to music and sound effects, the app is notable for its addictive quality and high levels of engagement. Launched in its present form in 2016 by Chinese startup ByteDance, TikTok joined the ranks of social media giants in record time.
TikTok currently has over 834 million live worldwide app downloads and continues to grow rapidly.
ByteDance was reportedly worth up to $140 billion by mid-2020, based on the private sale of a small stake in the company. TikTok alone was said to be worth about $50 billion.
That would make it the most valuable startup in the world.
Facebook is owned by a social media company Facebook Inc., a Delaware Corporation based out of Palo Alto, California. Mark Zuckerberg founded it as a way to connect with his classmates and has since grown into one of the most popular sites in history.
Facebook is a social networking software that allows you to connect, share, discover, and communicate with others on your phone or computer.
The company launched its website in February 2004 and soon after grew to be the world’s largest social networking site. As of 2019, Facebook had over two billion active monthly users.
On Oct. 28, 2021, Facebook Inc. changed its name to Meta Inc. and changed its ticker from FB to MRVS effective Dec. 1, 2021.
Instagram was created by two Stanford University students, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, as a photo-sharing app. In October 2010, the company established its website and quickly rose to become one of the most popular photo-sharing sites. Their goal for the application was for it to be simple and for the user to have as few steps as possible to complete tasks.
By March 2012, the application’s user base had expanded to roughly 27 million people. Instagram was released for Android handsets in April 2012 and was downloaded more than a million times in less than one day. The company was also closing in on receiving a fresh round of financing at a valuation of $500 million at the time.
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had met at Stanford events, and the two had been in contact since Instagram’s early success.
In April 2012, Facebook (now Meta) made an offer to buy Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock; the condition was that the firm would continue to be run independently. Shortly after, and just before its IPO, Facebook completed the acquisition for $1 billion in cash and stock.
Telegram
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging service. It was created by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai in 2013. The app quickly gained popularity due to its emphasis on privacy, allowing users to send messages without fear of being spied on (unlike WhatsApp).
Telegram provides one-on-one and group messaging, as well as end-to-end encryption, making it difficult to establish the full extent of any extremist discussions.
According to Gravitee’s interactive web page, Telegram has over 280 million active users. It is particularly popular in countries such as Iran and Russia, where authorities have attempted to block it.
The rise of messaging apps
Messaging apps have become increasingly popular in recent years as people seek a way to communicate that offers more security than traditional text messaging.
WhatsApp, Telegram, and other messaging apps all offer encryption that makes it difficult for others to read the messages. This has made them popular among people who want to keep their communications private.
How will these apps shape our world going forward?
These apps will continue to shape our world going forward in three ways. Firstly, they will change the way we socialise and connect with people. Secondly, they will change the way we consume information. And finally, they will change the way we do business.
Social media is going to change the way people do business in the future because it’s changing how we communicate. In other words, people wishing to advertise need a way to reach out and introduce their product or service without interruption from unwanted contact.
However, social media has been linked to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, body image issues, and cyberbullying. These problems can be exacerbated by the use of social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.
It is expedient that social media should be used in moderation, and young people should be warned about the dangers of using social media excessively.
The future of social media
Social media is evolving and will continue to evolve in the years to come. The most popular apps in 2021 are a testament to this.
TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media apps will continue to grow in popularity as people look for a way to connect online. They offer a level of connectivity that was not possible before and will shape the future in ways we cannot yet imagine. This is because most of these apps are free to download and offer a range of features that other apps do not.
The future will include more opportunities for social interaction online as people seek ways to connect without spending money or time on travel. This means we will see fewer physical social gatherings and more digital social interactions.
Final Thoughts
The popularity of these apps and their respective companies speaks to the future of technology. With continued growth in mobile devices and social media, these platforms are only going to become more ubiquitous. They offer opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs alike to connect with consumers in new and innovative ways.
In the coming years, it will be interesting to see how these apps continue to evolve and how they will impact our lives.
