Gen Z is starved for human contact online — these Indian startups step up – CNBCTV18

In this context, youth increasingly favour social media messaging apps. However, with existing tech giants like Meta and Snapchat are failing to meet the need for genuine connections, a niche, homegrown social media and messaging industry had mushroomed to serve this relatively untapped space.

The Crux of the Matter

The need for instant messaging, keeping in touch with friends and family, was once key to social media platforms like Facebook, which have since morphed into be-all-do-all behemoths that do everything, but nothing particularly well.

There are apps that cater to varying needs, but none that scratches the itch Gen Z feels for a human connection — YouTube allows you to stream content but not interact with users unless it’s a live chat; Facebook has essentially become the internet’s newspaper driven by “citizen (or user) driven journalism” that relies more on shock and awe than actual facts; WhatsApp is more utilitarian than fun; X (formerly Twitter) has become Elon Musk’s personal megaphone; and Instagram, Threads, and Snap are, well, who really knows anymore? One thing is for sure — with the exception of WhatsApp, engagement is almost entirely driven by likes, shares and subscriptions to channels.

Enter the aforementioned niche homegrown platforms.

Spilz, a messaging platform targeting colleges and universities, aims to create online interaction spaces. “People need a lot more connectivity today. We need people to hang out with, we need people to celebrate our big or small achievements, we need people to share our problems and more. But in the current times, people don’t have a lot of time for offline socialisation as screen time has taken over,” says Nishant Shukla, Co-Founder of Spilz. The platform serves as an icebreaker app for Gen Z, promising to foster ongoing interactions for newly formed friendships.

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Another platform, Frnd, promises social discovery and is actively working to address the need for interpersonal connectivity in India. “Originally, the idea of being on social media was to be connected with people and interact with them in a meaningful manner. But if you see how the current social media space is being used mostly as content platforms, there is very little interaction taking place. What we also found was that on platforms like Facebook and ShareChat, people were trying to have conversations in the comment sections,” explains Harshvardhan Chhangani, Co-Founder of Frnd.

A Thriving Community Culture

Today, having an online presence is both pivotal and inescapable for most of us. While public spaces have continued to shrink, online engagement has surged. The increasing preference for homegrown apps is partly due to their promise of fostering a strong community culture.

Co-founded by Saurabh Pandey, Eloelo is a live-streaming platform that has gained popularity for its offerings in several Indian dialects. The platform has cultivated a strong user community through features like live audio and video chats between users and creators. “We felt that people were not solving the need for belongingness or combating loneliness, which is one of the reasons why people create social media profiles. As a user, you want to communicate. People want to find others who are like them, who speak their language, and who share similar interests,” says Pandey.

And investors are taking note.

Spilz is backed by venture capital firm 100X.VC, while Frnd and Eloelo have attracted significant investor interest from firms like Krafton, India Quotient, and Kalaari Capital. Downloads from Google Play Store also indicate strong user traction for these platforms.

The future for these homegrown social media apps looks promising, with a growing user base and investment pipeline.

While big tech giants have long dictated social media habits for most users, a robust online community culture has yet to flourish on these apps in India.

Experts believe that homegrown social media platforms are filling this void.

“The rise of homegrown platforms is hardly surprising, and hopefully, they strike gold without buckling down and getting acquired by one of the larger tech players in the process. If these platforms need to scale up effectively, they might need to localise across different regions,” says Shriram Venkatraman, Assistant Professor and DIAS Fellow at the University of Southern Denmark.

Venkatraman, who authored Social Media in South India, notes, “From farmers in the plains to fishermen and women, to homemakers and high-octane stock traders, several demographics find themselves on different social media platforms in the country … transitioning them completely to just one platform might not happen.”

Unlocking Growth of Online Spaces

Gen Z and millennial users also exhibit an unmet appetite for group interactions on social media. “We have observed strong interest in our game rooms and audio rooms. Game rooms allow users to engage in friendly challenges, where they really get to know the person they’re playing with. Ultimately, users decide whether they want to befriend others or not. We wanted to take offline behaviour to an online environment. We didn’t want to change how people make friends; we just wanted to provide another avenue for it,” explains Spilz’s Shukla.

While the prospects for growth among homegrown social media apps appear promising, challenges such as funding crunches and monetisation issues cannot be overlooked.

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One notable blip on India’s startup radar was the shutdown of the social media platform Koo, which had positioned itself as a desi alternative to X, and even tried to cash in on the chaos caused by Elon Musk’s aggressive monetisation of the vaunted blue checkmarks.

“The irony that Indians, who love social media platforms, don’t populate and participate as much in a homegrown one is striking,” says Venkatraman on Koo’s failure, but adds that the Indian startup ecosystem remains resilient against such shocks.

For platforms like Spilz, Frnd, and Eloelo, user traction is increasing as new offerings continue to emerge.

The models for niche social media in India are driven mainly by private investment, but monetising user interactions, sign-ups, and usage remains a challenge that the online space has yet to overcome. As India’s digital landscape evolves, the rise of homegrown social media platforms reshapes how the nation connects—one conversation at a time.

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