The desire to feel supported, included, and in community with others, online or IRL, is universal. But many huge social media apps today seem more adept at making users feel on the outs—or worse. Algorithmic and content-moderation changes at X (formerly Twitter), for example, have left many users feeling unsafe, distanced from their internet friends, or simply unappreciated if they don’t shell out a monthly fee. 

“The more a group feels excluded from the mainstream internet, the more they’ll look for alternative spaces,” says Ed K. Lin, a sociologist and lecturer at UC Berkeley. This has driven people to try platforms that, through distinct content moderation and curation techniques, allow them to congregate by identity groups and interests. Instead of posting to their public feeds, people are heading to more community-focused spaces, many of which appear on Fast Company’s 2024 list of the Most Innovative Companies in social media.

Promising upstarts are catering to social groups in novel and experimental ways. Lex, for example, provides a classifieds-style feed for queer people, while Spill, an open-to-all microblogging site, is built with content-moderation features that are intended to make Black and other marginalized creators feel welcome. Other apps, like the Nudge and Letterboxd, serve specific use cases: making plans with friends or recommending films.  

WhatsApp is also helping users find their niche—and with a decidedly contrarian approach. Rather than trying to make the app more addictive by adding things like algorithmic content suggestions, comments sections, and prompts to connect with other users, the platform says it’s making users’ messaging more meaningful. It’s added video-call features, upgraded group chatting, and strengthened privacy protections, all so that users can communicate more authentically.