Social media, as we know it, might be headed for a big change. Over the last 15 years, text, photo, and video-based platforms have defined the social media landscape and how we communicate over the internet. The early entrant in the social media market were over text like twitter, Facebook and Linkedin or Myspace etc. All these networks were more like information dissemination of broadcast networks where you would just
post something about your life and everyone will get updated passively right so they were very helpful in terms of just keeping in touch either in professional sense or in the sense of your own friends. As 3G and 4g connectivity started the smart phone came with high resolution camera option. Mobile Cameras led to another revolution, where in apps like snapchat and Instagram took over because a picture is worth a thousand words.
However, an old trick is making a silent yet stomping comeback — audio chatting rooms. Social audio is probably the hottest startup space right now.This decade, we will see the explosion of drop-in audio platforms, this new feature changes the way we communicate and connect with people all over the world.
People engage more with audio/video
Have you ever heard a song in the morning, only to have it stubbornly stick in your head all day long, even though you don’t care for it?
Of course you have. It happens to all of us, and there’s a clear explanation for it.
“People remember things via audio signal better, longer, and stronger than when they see visually,”
Social audio capture attention, the average attention span for video are 8 secs, with the average for audio chat and discussions engage for 30–34 mins. In general audio consumers use headsets to listen to podcasts when not using speakers, this form of listening encourages intimacy with the content creator. Due to this feeling of intimacy listeners build a close relationship with the podcaster this can evoke feelings of friendship which in turn breeds trust. This feeling of trust and kinship is why audio consumers are so open to spreading the message about podcasts.
More and more top social networks are including audio content and blending it into their platforms.
Speak and you shall be heard
Audio content is different: You can consume it passively. With audio first content like traditional podcasting or social audio If you are cooking, shopping, jogging or driving your car, you can easily consume the content you don’t have to be actively involved.
This passive audio consumption is exploding exemplified by the exponential growth of the podcasting industry. Global monthly podcast listener figures are forecast to grow more than six-fold, from 287 million in 2016 to 1.85 billion in 2023, according to the Ovum research company. In the United States alone 32% of the population (90 million) listen to a podcast at least once a month and 22% (62 million) listen to podcasts weekly.
Why Audio
Voice not only expands the time users can be social but with over 256 million visually impaired individuals globally who have been widely overlooked for years, a voice-based social network is an accessible opportunity to be “social” like never before.
Why Video
Video works for strangers once they get into a comfort zone, people like to see people understand them better, build relationships and have empathy. Audio gives way to video on a longer horizon and then they are used interchangeably as per the need of the scenario.
Consumer Need
Mobile is the predominant device of choice across the globe and text & vernacular language are slightly hard on mobile, masses coming to the internet would want a more natural medium of connecting hence Audio & Video works really quick and comfortably for all.
While there are multiple social media sites, they do tend to be pretty similar to one another. The only difference is in the type of media consumer need is one that allows a consumer to interact with other people naturally, all via the power of your voice?
The social networks today are smarter than they were 20 years ago. They are always on the lookout for the next trend that they can woo users with and entice engagement.
Are you limited solely to voice?
No, even if there are voice-based social media sites, consumers are not limited solely to voice. With audio and video taking over our home, our cars, and even our messengers, people are rapidly switching to audio & video-based gadgets for their daily needs.
There is enough evidence to suggest that voice and video are where all digital activity is going.
Is this the right time?
The social network feeds on in-real-life elements: spontaneity, interaction, and encounters with friends and strangers alike. Social networking apps are likely to succeed during the Covid-19 pandemic? It’s hard to say, but there’s definitely a need for more human connection in the absence of face-to-face meet-ups. Video live-streaming saw a huge rise last year.
According to a global survey, about 33 percent of adults experienced the feeling of loneliness worldwide & 60% of adults in the US felt loneliness. Therefore, the intimacy of voice makes audio communication a much more appealing option in the age of social distancing and isolation.
Moreover, fleshing out an interest-based social network has been the thing to watch out in social media for a while now.
If you are interested to join a social network that focuses on individual interests rather than latching on to social circle preferences, then Leher is the right option for you!
The new-age networking app, Leher is a revolutionary forum that offers users novel ways of expanding their networks and chancing upon different ideas. Leher was started with an idea to democratize discussions. It is a platform to have a free-flowing conversation around topics of interest and form a network with people around things that you care about. It is the best place where you can interact with people, talk with them and just embrace everything that they have to offer. Plus, this is a site that allows you to express whatever and however, you want. The number of ads is also none so that it can be a perfect alternative to Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
As more users are signing with Leher, the creation of more and more clubs and domain discussions are happening, and that adds a lot of diversity to the platform.
Inside a club, you can have a conversation over Audio only or with Video. You can also choose to be a listener only. The rooms support up to 10,00,000 users at a time.
On top of that, being able to do comment on live discussions is a lot of fun for mobile users. Users can use various interactive features like comments, stickers, emojis, link sharing for a very lively conversation. The Goal behind Leher was to build something global in the consumer space.
Leher’s rise to popularity can be partly attributed to its interest-focus perspective that shields topics and lets users dive into at will. Users can create communities around domains of their interest and engage in conversations. Theoretically, the focus falls on the quality of engagement rather than the quantity, Leher can boast of being a tad more authentic than its counterparts. Check the app website – https://leher.app/
