Peach, the new social media application has generated lots of buzz these past few weeks. So, what exactly is it? Dom Hofmann, the founder of Vine who also jumpstarted this app says it is simply “A space for friends.” Launched on January 7th, Peach is already ranked as the 8th most popular social networking app according to iTunes. The question, then, is: Will it stand a chance against the other giants of social networking apps?
First, we ask what exactly this new “space” entails. Most users reference Twitter, Facebook, and Slack when describing Peach, saying it is a combination of the three where you can post updates of what you are up to simply and quickly. If Peach wants to survive amongst the other social media platforms, they have a few things to consider. To start, there is no direct messaging, which takes away the option for group chats and sharing information privately between specific people for different projects. This takes away one of Slack’s specialties, making it more difficult to serve as a communication method for professional matters and giving the competitor the upper hand. While users typically opt for transparency in social media apps (such as Twitter), people also like having the option to privatize certain information. Although Peach has branded itself as more playful and personally informative rather than professional, it is still worth considering.
Next, it is exclusive to iOS devices only, stripping away all the avid Blackberry, Android, and other non-iPhone users of the world, limiting the demographic once again. While the “Magic Words” feature that prompts specific actions is quite impressive, another factor that limits accessibility is that there is no web access. Most other social networking apps enable web access to widen the transportability of the application, transcending just one device. Peach likes to keep it all on lock - strictly in one application.
Some Twitter users have described it as the app “Where you post everything that people mute you for on twitter”, emphasizing the ongoing stream of consciousness. It is quick and simple, but also intricate in its possibilities where you can post a status (like Facebook), give your friends quick updates (like Twitter), and simultaneously attach a 5 star rating, emojis, location, music tags, and the current weather (like nothing else we’ve seen before).
Peach seems like a creative and innovative way to communicate within the walls of one device and is definitely a playful outlet for friends, but the potential room for communication purposes via private and/or group messaging presents an entirely different demographic that companies, businesses, and various project leads could benefit from. Peach gives us the creative platform, which has the potential for more creative and effective ways of communication, something creative agencies such as Oniracom will always looks towards.
