As the prototypical application of web 2.0, social networking enables the “user-generated web”. With the arrival of the metaverse and web 3.0, industry insiders have already actively discussed and explored how social networking would evolve. A widely-recognized view is that social networking serves as one of the pillars upon which the metaverse will be built, while the metaverse impacts how we perceive and use social networking. If you have previously used Soul App, you’ll be glad to find that this social networking platform. Has already tied closely to the metaverse and has been offering a fresher and more immersive user experience. Soul App founder, Zhang Lu believes that the future of social networking lies in the metaverse. Which may enlighten the industry.
So, what is Soul App?
Soul App is a Gen Z-oriented social networking app that allows users to freely express themselves through a series. Of creative tools and share their thoughts while finding awesome friends from all around the world. Soul Zhang Lu and her team officially released this App in 2016. A time when the metaverse was still a fantasy. They only intended to build a pressure-free playground every one could express and socialize freely. However, their design coincides with the development of the metaverse.
Zhang Lu creatively proposed to invite users to create their avatars, a brand-new virtual identity. As a passport to the virtual world built by Soul App. As a result, users will not focus on appearance when socializing. Instead they pay more attention to interests and views of value. And further establish a relationship based on a shared interest or view.
Users have to spend several minutes on a quiz when they sign up for Soul App. Based on the result, they will sooner be transformed into various planets. Where a group of people sharing the same interest gather and develop authentic virtual relationships with them. The friendship ecology on Soul App is different from other social networking platforms. Unlike others who usually are acquaintance-driven or content-centered, the friendship logic on Soul App is interest-driven and judgment-free.
Meanwhile, the user-generated content of Soul App presents great richness and interactivity. Statistics show that in 2021, about 87% of monthly active users, on average, interact with other users on Soul App. When a user makes a post, he is 91% likely to receive a reply from other users. In fact, Soul App users have generated a total of over 1.7 billion replies. In other words, every post has received an average of 9.2 comments and 15.7 likes. Meanwhile, each daily active user has viewed an average of 157 posts and 15 profiles per day.
What does the Soul App tell us about the social metaverse?
In terms of building immersive social scenarios, Zhang Lu’s exploration provides some inspiration. Instead of simply connecting the user to their friends via 2D web pages, social networking playgrounds in the metaverse may aim toward creating immersive. Interactive experiences that activate users’ senses. On Soul App, the avatar-based social mode provides a foundation for an immersive metaverse experience. A series of gamified designs, such as virtual party, Soul planet, and Soul Cam. Further contribute to the construction of immersive and interactive experiences.
Branding & Marketing
The rise of the metaverse also breeds more commercial opportunities. Businesses perceive the metaverse as an extension of their advertising scenarios to promote their products and services. It is well-known that new media has become a new kind of advertising as a result of web 2.0 social networking. Where the influencer explosion almost reshaped the marketing business. It is predictable that web 3.0 will usher in new methods for creating buzz and excitement around brands.
Under Soul Zhang Lu’s direction. Soul App has already cooperated with several brands to explore marketing diversity in the social metaverse. It has launched an NFT marketing campaign with a Tencent-backed mobile game and designed a 3D avatar. For the automobile brand Chevrolet to capture young consumers from Generation Z. Both two advertising campaigns have reached brilliant results.
A bright future is lying ahead.
The future of social networking is inextricably related to the future of the metaverse in various ways. Some industry insiders prefer to regard the metaverse as simply the next generation of social networking. Just like the revolution of online gaming. Remote working and the flourishing of e-commerce we have already experienced. Platforms like Soul App and Meta are already bringing several changes to many aspects of our digital lives under one roof. Instead of scrolling through information on a flat screen and exploring online social relationships, the metaverse lets us go inside and experience it all together. Immersively and build authentic social connections. Will Zhang Lu bring us more surprises with her Soul App? Let’s wait to see what’s in store!
