The increasingly toxic environment of social media poses a huge threat to our mental health.听
That鈥檚 the view of听Sacha听Lazimi,听CEO of a听rapidly-growing听social media platform with 45 million users which is planning to increase its workforce 10-times this year.听听
Lazimi听co-founded听Yubo听in France听in 2015听as a safe space for teenagers and young adults to make friends听鈥�away from the pressure of听followers or likes鈥�.听
“These don鈥檛 exist at all on Yubo,鈥� he tells听老九品茶Cloud. 鈥�Our users can be themselves, without the pressure of impressing others online.听We听want users to create genuine friendships online by placing interests and shared passions at the centre of everything we do.听
鈥淪ocial media plays an important role in our听lives, and听has been essential over the past year to keep us connected whilst social distancing. However, whilst playing a crucial role in our lives, traditional social media platforms have come under some criticism for the mental health impact of excessive use.听听
鈥淭raditional platforms have been the centre of this criticism, as they are often accompanied by ads and influencers which has now created a 鈥榗omparison culture鈥�, where users are constantly comparing themselves to others online.听
鈥淲e have fallen into a race for likes and the mass of content has become far too large, losing quality and relevance.鈥�听听
Users of Yubo can听browse interests, such as sports, video games or music, and create a livestream. Anyone on Yubo will then be able to see them and send them messages, with the host choosing whether to add viewers as new friends.听
Once users become friends on Yubo, they can chat with each other through instant messages or livestreams.听听
This pressure-free environment is striking a chord with Gen Z: in 2020, the app experienced a 550% increase in time spent on live streams.听Now, its UK users aged 21-24 are now spending over a full day a month on live streams, more听than听the average UK user spends on听TikTok听a month.听
鈥�Yubo鈥檚 top priority is to keep users safe online,听which is why we have integrated tech such as AI to monitor interactions between users and identify inappropriate photos, videos, and messages being shared amongst underage and vulnerable users,鈥澨�Lazimi (above) explains.听
鈥�We have a minimum age limit of 13, ground rules and innovative safety tools, such as age recognition and real time safety alerts, which work to reduce the risk to young people and improve their digital awareness.听听
鈥�We recommend other social media platforms follow suit and place safety as their number one priority.鈥�听
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London-based 20-year-old Angelica and 21-year-old听Mjay听met in January听through听a Yubo livestream discussing听shared political views.听They听now听count听one听other as best friends, streaming together听everyday, despite never having met in person.听
Mjay听said:听鈥淚 always felt like there was a stigma attached to meeting people online…听I was very wary until I met听Angel, but听meeting her has opened my eyes to making friendships online and I felt safe communicating and streaming on Yubo.听听
鈥�I never thought I would make a friend during听lockdown听but Angel is one of my closest friends.鈥澨�听
Angelica added:听鈥淚t’s broken down the stigma for me too, 100%…听you can make genuine friendships online. This is probably one of the best friendships I have made for a very,听very听long time.听听
鈥�We have the same interests and just bonded and clicked straight away听鈥撎�it听just feels right.鈥澨�听
Since its launch in 2015, Yubo has grown significantly in key markets including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and France. Last summer, Yubo added Latin America to the app鈥檚 roster.听
Last year it opened its first UK base听鈥� its second-largest market听鈥撎�in听London and raised听$47.5 million听in a听Series C round, while听revenues听were around听$20m,听a听doubling听of听turnover from 2019.听
鈥�We have grown exceptionally, climbing to 45M users in 40 countries worldwide…听5m听are based in the UK alone,鈥� says听Lazimi.听听
鈥�This huge growth aligned with lockdowns around the world, as younger generations turned to social media to remain connected to each other and make new friends.鈥�听
He adds: 鈥淲e operate using a听鈥榝reemium鈥� business model. Users have access to a free account, but they can buy premium features. Users can spend as little as 拢2 to buy premium features that let them do things like pushing their chat group to the top of Yubo鈥檚 home page for a couple of minutes.听听
鈥淲e have also just introduced听YuBucks, Yubo’s very own currency.听Yubucks听can be spent on our usual Powers (Boosts, Spotlights, Turbos & Fast-Adds) and can be purchased.听YuBucks听can be purchased directly through the app.听听
鈥淭raditional social media platforms often rely on advertisements to make money, which we believe has taken away from the purpose of social media, and we think that the 鈥榝reemium鈥� model is truly the听future of any social platform if you want to monetise today. This business model means that Yubo doesn鈥檛 have any ads on our platform at all.听听
鈥淎s a result, it means that we do not sell our users鈥� data to generate revenue and that users don’t come to our platform to make money.鈥�听
Yubo currently employs听around听50 people.听鈥淭his year we plan to multiply our workforce by 10…听in particular,听strengthening听our presence in the US and continuing to grow our UK team,鈥� says听Lazimi.听听
鈥�We also plan to continue to develop the app further and add more functionalities to the platform, including more interactive games, which users can play as听ice-breakers. We are working to continue to develop this side of the app,听in order to听facilitate interactions online.鈥�听
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