With social and messaging being the fastest growing app category, social networks development remains a thriving and highly profitable market. Yet, building another Facebook or Twitter makes little sense, taking into account the existing user base and adoption of these social media giants.

In such an extremely saturated market, anonymous social network development represents a great opportunity to stand out among the competition. Having been around for a while, the concept remains appealing to the major audience, offering the benefits of free speech and self-expression.

What we need to know is the current state of the market, from thriving leaders to major failures, suggest killer features to that can help you gain a competitive edge, and point out some of the main mistakes to avoid in anonymous social media app development.

The growing social media landscape

The power of social media is growing enormously and developing a social media app is a hot trend these days.

With the social media application market booming with opportunities, as an entrepreneur, you cannot miss the chance to be part of the fast-growing market.

In 2021 and beyond, new ideas and new opportunities can be shaped into brilliant social media apps. And, with the rapid development of technology, you can quickly transform your social app idea into a digital reality.

According to reports, more than 90% of millennials are social network users, and 80% of companies use social networks for marketing. With the power of growing social networking, you can expect the number of worldwide monthly active users to reach over 3 billion by 2021.

With active users of social platforms growing every day, it is prudent that you think of social media app development and become a dominant player.


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What is anonymous social media?

An anonymous social app is designed to keep your identity private, giving you peace of mind as you navigate social media. 

Are they completely anonymous? Apps can’t guarantee that, as almost everything done on the internet is trackable or traceable in some way. One of the first ways to try and stay anonymous is through the use of a VPN, or virtual private network.

Social media vs. anonymous social media: what's a difference?

If you have a profile on one of the popular social media and networking channels like Facebook or Twitter, you are already aware of 2 simple facts:

To sign in, you need to provide some unique personal information like email, address, name and surname, etc.;

The apps track your activity and footprints, as well as collect all the information they can to provide you with interactive, engaging, and relevant content.

Although it seems like not a big deal, more and more people worldwide strive to protect their personal data and hide online activity for various reasons. 

According to a survey, 86% of respondents take measures to hide their digital footprints. 

More than half of respondents are taking measures to avoid observation by the government or individual people.

What exactly they strive to mask:

Contact info

More than 21% of Internet users had their email compromised. Scammers don’t miss a chance to use email, phone, and contact details for online fraud. With this basic info, accounts can be easily hacked as well as other troubles may emerge.

Contact list

With access to your account, scammers get an opportunity to break into your network. Personal data of your relatives and friends just flows into the wrong hands.

Viewed content

13% of users reported troubles in their relationship because of something they posted or viewed online. Some social networks demonstrate the posts you like, new friends you add, or comments you write to all your network.

Location

A friend of mine is afraid to share her routes on Strava as she believes someone may follow her routes, especially on evening or night runs. Strava always asks for user’s permissions before tracking the route as well as offers specific security features. However, many social media apps don’t demonstrate such preventions.

At the same time, more than 30% of Internet users provide their exact address online, which turns to a wide field of opportunities for scammers and criminals.

Private chats

Emails and online chats privacy is a valuable thing for 68% and 51% of respondents, respectively. People worry if their online communication may be shown to third parties. Leaks ruin careers, reputations, and relations.

Definition and major app types

So what do we know about user behavior online? The Internet transforms our perception of personal information and the way we treat it. Let’s look at some specific figures.

First, we see that users generally do not feel that they don’t have enough control over their personal information they shared online. In particular, only 13% of respondents in the US believe they have decent control over private messages, and 16% – over social media posts.

The vast majority of mobile users have concerns over private data usage online. 59% are not sure how their personal information is used, while 54% of respondents believe this data serves as a marketing instrument and can be sold by third parties.

Anonymous social apps represent a safe place for people who prefer not to share certain thoughts openly with their friends and family, or who are concerned about privacy using traditional social media. Such apps allow users to speak freely about anything without being judged or bullied.

Why are anonymous apps so popular?

Online anonymity is turning into a new modern trend. According to the results of some latest researches, more than 80% of online users want to benefit from additional privacy when being online. There are several reasons for such demands. 

Some users simply hate it being guided by advertising. Others simply want to steer clear of hackers and different types of frauds. Some users are eager to hide their behavior from governmental establishments and avoid federal issues.

We are all aware of some simple strategies to mask our online actions. All you need is to clear your cookies as well as browse history. Fake names and profiles appear to be another common way to hide users’ behavior. 

Users that are more acknowledgeable opt for some more complicated ways like encrypting emails or using VPNs. It is not surprising, more and more people are eager to have more control over their privacy. The article will be dedicated to anonymous social networking app development.

Fundamentals features of anonymous social media apps

Any anonymous social media app designed by a business for a target audience has three primary goals.

• Keep your users and their data anonymous.
• Offer an authentic yet safe space for the targeted activity.
• Facilitate monetization to gather ROI.

Establishing an equilibrium between these paves the path for a successful venture that can generate revenue.

There are a significant number of things you must consider before developing a social networking app. Particularly, to create an app that delivers on these critical necessities, you need a clear comprehension of the fundamentals that fuel an anonymous social media network.

Anonymity

The famous anonymous social media app Whisper doesn’t allow users to sign-in; rather, it uses a token system to identify its users and session. Other apps like Yik Yak enable user registration. 

Some, like Plaza, offer a toggle choice between private and anonymous profiles for the same user.
It would be best if you determined beforehand the degree of anonymity your app will offer.

It matters because, ultimately, you have to personalize user experiences to encourage higher app usage. Also, features that support anonymity require enhanced security and features that don’t require heavy moderation.

Choose what is more likely to suit your app and its intended users.

Security

No mobile app development company can protect all of a user’s online data. Make your peace with that, and then choose to encrypt data points that will invite the highest user confidence in your application.

The most popular choices are user location masking, VPN networks, anti-tracking, and anti-surveillance software, chat encryption, etc. Additionally, you should use integrations to protect the user’s private data.

Moderation

Anonymity on the internet has just as many advantages as shortcomings. That’s why no matter how anonymous your social network is, verbal abuse and cyberbullying will always remain a problem occurring in varying degrees.

Moderating the users with a strict system in place will help increase the confidence score of your application in the market. It will also contribute to maintaining user anonymity more effectively.

You can use a human team, ML algorithm, or a semi-manual process to impose behavior regulation, filter posts, and investigate reports for user abuse and flagged content. 

You can also monitor the posts before they go live with in-app alerts and further action. Offer a blocking feature and content & user filtering choice to make it easier for your users to avoid abuse.

Monetization

The ultimate goal for any application, social media or otherwise, is to target, enroll, and retain your concerned audience. 

One of the most effective ways to ensure user retention, especially for anonymous social networks that invite younger audiences more than older ones, is branded advertising, and trend-specific marketing campaigns. You can also offer valuable premium membership and features.