While social media has its perks, it can also be a toxic wasteland crawling with hate comments, unrealistic body standards, scammers and spam bots. As this toxicity continues to infest the digital landscape, new social platforms emerge, determined to remedy our distorted online world.
Daylyy is a photo-sharing social app where you can only snap photos in real time, preventing you from uploading filtered and augmented photos from your camera roll. Not only does this take the pressure off to post a perfectly crafted image and caption, but it also allows you to be your authentic self.
“[Daylyy] is a true reflection of everyone’s daily life,” co-founder and CEO Austin Anderson told TechCrunch. “It’s a real-time social media app. There’s never going to be filters, and you’re not going to see any uploads. You also won’t see things like vanity metrics or numbers. And, most importantly, no algorithm.”
Filter-less daily photo sharing exists within other apps — BeReal, Minutiae, Locket and LiveIn — however, Anderson argues that Daylyy rivals use “gimmicky” features.
“We saw people flock to BeReal because it was authentic, but games quickly fizzle out,” he said. BeReal claims to have 25 million daily active users, but reports suggest its time in the limelight has run out. Even TikTok tried to mimic BeReal with TikTok Now, however, less than a year later, the app decided to shut down the feature.
Additionally, Daylyy doesn’t publicize your comments for others to see. Instead, you must directly message a mutual follower, encouraging a more personal connection with them. Privacy on social media has become more popular over the years, with the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, admitting that young users spend more time in direct messages and group chats.
You also can’t see how many people like a post on Daylyy, which is another reason many of us have shied away from regularly posting content online. With Daylyy, there’s no more pressure to perform.
“Speaking with a lot of our users, we often hear there are a lot of apprehensions to post on Instagram; there’s fear of being judged, feeling like your life isn’t post-worthy,” Anderson added. “None of that exists in the Daylyy community. Part of the Daylyy effect is realizing you can post whatever makes you happy, whenever — no one else’s opinion matters!”
Launched in 2022, the startup now touts over 47,000 users in more than 100 countries — emphasizing the demand for an alternative to traditional social media platforms.
“By the end of the fourth quarter of this year, we are confident we will surpass 50,000,” Anderson told us.
In hopes of boosting further growth, Daylyy recently brought on its newest team member — Brendan van der Vossen, the new head of growth and a former VSCO executive.
“It is exciting to be working on social media in a positive way,” van der Vossen said in a statement. “Having a background growing alternative social media apps like VSCO, I am thrilled to be working on an app that brings social media into a new light for Gen Z. I was struck by [Anderson’s] vision for what authentic social media could look like, and I love working with founders who have that big vision.”
Daylyy is currently pre-revenue yet has an interesting monetization plan revolving around ads.
“When we get to a certain user mark, bringing ads on is the main way we’ll go about monetization,” Anderson said, which mirrors moves made by Instagram and TikTok. “[However], the vision for the advertisements is the same as the people on Daylyy — what you see is what you get.” He explained that businesses that advertise on the platform must take a picture of their product in real time so they’re on the “same playing field as everyone else” and will hopefully allow Daylyy to maintain its users’ trust in the app.
We would be surprised if major brands — especially the ones that notoriously photoshop their models — would hop on the authenticity train. Still, if Daylyy could convince companies to remove the façade, it would certainly be notable.
Granted, there are brands that could be a fit for this candid approach to ads, including fashion brands like Aerie and Asos, which are committed to not retouching their models. Anderson also used Lush as an example; the bodycare company quit social media in 2021 because it believes platforms like Instagram and Facebook aren’t providing a safe environment for users.
“We’ve been reaching out to [Lush] a ton, and it would obviously be huge to get them onboard,” he said. However, Anderson made it clear that Daylyy isn’t actively in talks with the company.
Daylyy is free to download on the App Store and Google Play Store.
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