561-429-2585
Email Us
Map Location

5 Viral Social Media Platforms, Where Are They Now?

Social Media Marketing

Since the advent of the internet, new viral social media platforms have emerged at a rapid pace. At the same time, many of the ones that were once famous have gradually faded away.

What became of these popular social media platforms?

As the leading internet marketing company in Florida, we're here to keep you up to date on the social media platforms that matter. We'll also tell you which ones are still worth your time and investment.

Here is a list of social media platforms that once went viral:

1. Vine

Vine logo
Photo from E School News

Vine was a popular video app that debuted in 2013 and allowed users to create six-second looped videos. Users could make their content, follow friends and popular creators, and view trending videos.

In addition, the Vine app was a great way to search for videos and groups of videos that had "trended."

Up until the end of 2015, Vine had over 200 million daily active users. However, the app eventually failed because it couldn't compete with other rapidly growing video networks of the time (such as Instagram).

Many Vine executives and co-founders were also opposed to monetization. They did not want to accept brand sponsorship, so creators and marketers moved to platforms like YouTube, where they could monetize their content.

Even though uploads were disabled in October 2016, viewing and downloading remained available on the site.

In January 2017, Twitter made all of the Vine videos that had ever been posted available on the internet. The archive was shut down in April 2019.

At the end of 2017, the company's co-founder Dom Hofmann announced that he was working on Vine's successor, Byte (now Clash).

Is it worthwhile to try the Clash app to promote your business? It's possible.

"The strength of connection to the community will dictate the future of the creator economy," Ohanian (Clash app investor and co-founder of Reddit) said in a statement.
He went on to say, "Clash is pioneering a new model that not only provides a better way to monetize than banner ads but also fosters deeper connections between creators and their fans. This results in improved content and stronger communities."

The app is just starting, and if you start as a pioneer, it could take your business to the next level once it blows off.

2. Discord

Discord logo

Discord, which debuted in May 2015, is a social VoIP and instant messaging platform that allows users to communicate via:

  • voice calls
  • video calls
  • text messaging
  • media and files in private chats

All of these modes of communication are possible as part of communities known as "servers."

A "server" consists of persistent chat rooms and voice channels accessible via invite links. Discord is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, and web browsers.

The app was initially designed for gamers, but it has since expanded to include many users, including influencers, content creators, and businesses looking for an alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams.

The service currently has over 350 million registered users and over 150 million monthly active users.

So, are you able to advertise on Discord?

The answer is both yes and no.

There are no native advertising tools like those found on Facebook or TikTok. However, you can still advertise your business organically through community engagement.

"Brands can authentically engage with consumers on Discord by leveraging what is already appealing to consumers about Discord—forming relationships around common interests and having real-time discussions," Jesse Nicely, VP and group strategy director at Cashmere Agency, told Marketing Dive.

Many businesses can benefit from using Discord; however, those that want to build a community of like-minded people interested in what your company has on offer will see the most benefit.

3. Clubhouse

Clubhouse logo

Clubhouse is a chat app released in 2020 that allows users to communicate with one another. Because users had to be invited by another user to join Clubhouse, it felt like a private club to which only a few people were invited.

Although the app is only available on iOS devices, Clubhouse had nearly 10,000,000 monthly downloads from its fans as of February 2021. However, two months later, this figure had dropped to 900,000 downloads.

As a solution, the app was made available on Android devices in May 2021, and the app developers removed Clubhouse's invitation-only system in July of the same year—now, anyone is welcome to use the platform.

According to App Store data, as of April 2022, Clubhouse was the ninth most popular app.

So, is it worth it to promote your brand on Clubhouse? Well, it depends.  

The association of Clubhouse with celebrities such as Drake, Kevin Hart, and Tiffany Haddish was highly appealing.

Indeed, Clubhouse is an excellent venue for brand promotion. You can use the app to host focus groups or to make personal connections with your audience.

If you can't find a big enough influencer, or your audience doesn't use Clubhouse regularly, it may be time to look elsewhere.

4. Twitter Spaces

Twitter Spaces
Photo from Twitter

Launched in 2020, Twitter Spaces is Twitter's answer to Clubhouse. It's a feature on the Twitter app that allows users to join and host live audio discussions.  

It is a social audio feature that allows users to host or participate in a "space" for conversation, a live-audio virtual environment.

Spaces can hold an unlimited number of listeners. Onstage, 13 people (one host, two co-hosts, and ten speakers) are permitted.

Initially, the feature was only available to users with at least 600 followers. Since October 21, 2021, any Twitter user with an Android or iOS device can create a Space.

Although there are no statistics on how popular Twitter Spaces are with users, in 2021, Twitter made $5 billion in revenue. That’s a 37% increase from the previous year!

As the leading Florida internet marketing company, we say Twitter Spaces is a fantastic feature because Twitter is already a conversational platform with little emphasis on visuals.

You can use Twitter Spaces to:

  • Host large-scale focus groups to gather feedback on a product or service
  • Connect with your audience during trending topics and cultural moments
  • Engage in meaningful conversations.

You should definitely use Twitter Spaces if your competitors increase their investment in audio chat because of how popular Twitter is. You shouldn’t ignore this opportunity.

RELATED: How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Brand

5. Houseparty

Houseparty logo

Houseparty, which debuted in 2016, was a group-messaging app that supported video chats and could host up to eight users simultaneously. Participants could add to the fun by using unique filters, stickers, and other features to keep the party going.

Two years after its inception, the app introduced an in-chat gaming feature that allowed users to play games with their friends.

In early 2019, the company collaborated with Ellen DeGeneres' "Heads Up!" app, similar to charades. Houseparty also collaborated with Mattel in the summer of 2020 to add Magic 8-Ball and the card game Uno to the app.  

Other popular games in the app include:

  • Quick Draw
  • Chips & Guac
  • And many more trivia games

All these games are playable with friends via video chat.

The app's popularity skyrocketed in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out as many countries went into lockdown mode in anticipation of the threat.

In March 2020, Houseparty had been downloaded over 17 million times, earning it a Webby Award for "Breakout of the Year." However, at the end of the same month, various media organizations reported that Houseparty had been hacked.

However, after being acquired by Fortnite developer Epic Games, Houseparty was shut down in September 2021.

"The team behind Houseparty is working on creating new ways to have meaningful and authentic social interactions at metaverse scale across the Epic Games family," the game developer said.

Do You Want Your Business to Go Viral on Social Media?

With billions of people on social media every day, it's no surprise that businesses are investing in social media marketing. Now is the best time to jump on board—unless you don't mind missing out on leads, customers, and sales!

Our social media marketing team at Digital Resource would be delighted to assist you in developing a future-proof online presence. We have a toolkit full of creativity, experience, and know-how to craft the ideal custom strategy for your business.

To get started, contact us today!

Back to blogs

Related Blogs

Want to work for us?

Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!

apply Today
Digital Resource Awards