Gen Z’s MySpace era? Here’s what to know about Noplace.

The hype is – or at least was – all too real for Noplace, formerly known as Nospace, formerly known as the new nostalgia-inspired app touted as MySpace for Gen Z.

For almost a year, the creators have been teasing what the app will look like, and have encouraged users to sign up for the waitlist, which has been totally effective. There are currently 300,000 people eager to join this new social platform – so yes, it’s safe to say the younger generation is ready for less algorithm-driven curation in their lives and more agonizing over which song to pick for their profile. 

According to TZ (Tiffany Zhong) – the creator of the new app – this platform will be more about building connections, alleviating loneliness, and getting back to the good old days of socializing with friends through a chronological feed that will deliver updates about what they’re ‘watching, eating, reading, listening to IRL’ in real time.

The only problem: the release date continues to be pushed back, and users are starting to feel like they will never get the opportunity to painstakingly order their top 8 friends – a very specific rite of passage that every generation deserves. As it stands now, the app is expected to drop on June 12th, but some irreparable damage has already been done.

Noplace’s TikTok comments are filled with users saying they’re tired of waiting, they don’t believe the app will ever launch, and they’re over it – plain and simple. The release date may become irrelevant if they continue to lose the trust of potential users. Which is a shame. Because Gen Z deserves the freedom to post without judgment, the opportunity to create genuine connections, and most importantly, the empowerment that comes with accidentally learning to code. (tysm MySpace custom profiles)

ICYMI:

• Teamwork makes the dream work: TikTok is reportedly testing a collaboration feature that will mimic Instagram’s, allowing up to 5 users to be invited per post. 
• Too long; didn’t watch: According to the Instagram team, reels that are longer than 90 seconds can actually ‘hurt distribution.’
• Threads is taking another step toward transparency and adding the total view count for posts.
• Another day, another design change: Instagram is switching up the UX on its carousels, allowing users to stop mid-photo with a clear line separating each image. They’re also removing the dots underneath the photos.

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When you wish upon a Met Gala… 

Every brand, publisher, creator, and account searches for opportunities to capitalize on Fashion’s Biggest Night and join the conversation – even Disney and Disney Plus. Taking looks straight from the red carpet, the account executed two carousel posts that showed a side-by-side comparison using a Disney character, and the resemblances were striking. Let’s dive in:

• The idea is simple, but the execution is difficult. It’s easy to say we should compare celebrities to iconic Disney characters. But when you have no idea what Zendaya and Co. will be rocking, this requires quick thinking and an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire catalog – all the while keeping up with the constant stream of arrivals. 
• This didn’t feel like trying too hard. This was an organic way to embrace the trend while staying true to their standard tone and voice. 
• They turned what could have been one standout post into two. They easily could have made this one carousel with 10 images, but by splitting it up, they were able to get the first batch out quickly – especially important on a night when timing is everything – and reap the benefits of back-to-back over-performing posts in the grid. 
• They invited followers to join in on the fun in the comments section and fans delivered to the tune of almost 2,000 comments. For the record, @brianjcarney, not pairing Usher with Darkwing Duck was a miss. 
• The dress code was "The Garden of Time," based upon the Costume Institute's exhibit, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, so the Disney connection was begging to be made. 

Make it work for you: Equally important as brainstorming the vision ahead of time, this required total trust in the social team to see it through. It was also a masterclass in event coverage – find a unique way to leverage a trending topic that adds value, remains relevant to your messaging, and is core to your audience’s interests.

The first thing you need to know about Off Color Brewing in Chicago is that their Apex Predator beer is fantastic. The second thing you need to know is that the illustrations for their packaging are also fantastic. And the third thing you need to know is that on May 10th they tweeted the most delightful 19-tweet thread you’ll ever read about Sprinkles, a duck who had been living on their patio for the last month. Let’s talk about it: 

• A departure from the standard brewery content of seasonal beer offerings, new events, and merch plugs, this adorable story stood out and struck a chord with the 18K followers, earning 140K views on the initial tweet – a huge uptick from their usual posts which pull in 3-5K views. 
• They saved up images and videos for an entire month before compiling everything together in one cohesive tidy story/tweet thread. 
• It provided an inside look at the day-to-day happenings of a brewery – without mentioning beer one time. From making a home in a bourbon barrel to laying some eggs to rendezvous with her partner to braving rain storms and then the eventual hatchings, Sprinkles was (rightfully) the main character of this story. 
• It gave the account such a heartwarming, human voice. The genuine investment into this cute little duck’s life was obvious from the first tweet all the way through to the custom rain roof, the wall of cacti, and the ramp for the ducklings.  
• The timing was excellent as most X users quote tweeted the entire thread with something along the lines of ‘the most wholesome story for Mother’s Day weekend.’

Make it work for you: If it’s interesting to you, it’ll probably be interesting to others. This felt like something the employees were initially documenting on their own before realizing it could also be a really strong post. And isn’t it nice to be rewarded for deviating from the norm every now and again? This was shared widely, brought in new followers, and left everyone feeling good about Off Color. Now to create a Sprinkles-inspired beer… 

Post of the week

And in the end isn’t that all that matters? No? We’ll try again next quarter.