The last decade has seen an incredible rise in the use of mobile apps. They are so ingrained in our everyday life and the way we socialize, that . Sure, there is a time and a place for repetitive memes, whining about politics, sub-tweeting and shade, but, whatever happened to the best part about social networking? The fun!  Here are three apps that have a fresh take on being social online, and in some instances, can even be used in in tandem with existing social media accounts. It’s time to bring fun and creativity back to online networking.

Talkshow                    

talkshowapp_caro

User: Future Celebrity

Operating System: IOS

Have you ever had a text conversation with a friend in which you thought to yourself, “We need our own talk show”? Look no further because your prayers have been answered. Talkshow was made for opinionated and entertaining people who deserve an audience for their thoughts. The way it works is that a talk show is created and friends are invited to be co-hosts. When the talkshow begins, organizers notify their followers about the event within the talkshow community and via traditional Social Media channels (fans of your talkshow can view the show from Twitter, Facebook, and the Web). Hosts begin to chat about everything under the sun (think politics, music, science, spirituality) and fans get to watch, ask questions live using a Q&A feature, and for the super opinionated, request to become a co-host. Hosts share anecdotes, gifs, pictures and thoughts in what has the potential to turn into a live text version of a podcast. Totally dope for anyone seeking to gain a following based on their outrageous opinions.

soundBYTE

Soundbyte

User: Lovers of the Auditory Experience

Operating System: IOS

The micro-podcasting app soundBYTE is like audio tweeting with a twist. Users share 15 second soundBYTES with their followers, think song snippets, favorite movie scenes, original music, jokes, sports clips, speech clips and more. These snippets, or micro-podcasts, are shared on the app in an engaging and entertaining auditory social experience. Typically, tweeters tweet thoughts and ideas about what is currently trending in the media, however, users of soundBYTE are charged with the task of being slightly more creative. Through the presentation of auditory snippets used to inspire, provoke thought, or simply bring out the LOL’s, soundBYTE users can start their own trends, and share ideas in a more creative way. Sure, the usual trending topics may find their way over to the soundByte community, however, my guess is that users will ultimately take a more creative approach in what they share, and that the App will have its own ecosystem in which creative trends are made and driven.

airtime

airtimeapp_caro

User: The cool kids

Operating System: IOS and Android

Chatroom children of the 90s are busy mothers, spouses, employees, and well, just busy. In a world where adulting can make it nearly impossible to drop everything to go hang at a friend’s house like back in the day, airtime acts as a cool alternative. Without the over exposed everybody’s always on feeling of Facebook or Twitter, airtime harkens back to the good old days of AOL chatrooms with all the bells and whistles of the modern social networking experience. Creator Sean Parker (the guy Justin Timberlake played in the Facebook movie) has disrupted the online social scene yet again, this time taking hanging out back to the privacy of our own new school chatrooms. Airtime is a cool way to invite personal contacts to hang out in one private chatroom. Once you are “in” (rooms can have 10-250 people) members can live stream themselves, make comments, share YouTube videos, soundcloud and Spotify playlists, pictures, gifs and more with a selective group of people. It’s the perfect way to connect with close friends and acquaintances, share exclusive content and basically just chill with the people you actually like.  Kind of the opposite of Talkshow.

 

Elizabeth Aguirre is a technology professional with more than 8 years experience working in the software industry. Currently, Elizabeth is pursuing an M.S. in E-commerce at DePaul University and works as a consultant for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing in Chicago. She is on a one-woman mission to empower small business owners through the use of technology. When she’s not being a cool mom to her daughter Esther, she enjoys tweeting and mediation.