This Startup Photo-Sharing App Offers Features Tailor-Made For Gen Z

A simple comparison of Facebook and TikTok will reveal that different generations tend to gravitate toward different social media platforms. And one new entry is staking its future on a direct appeal to Generation Z.

Shifting focus

For Swsh, the journey to becoming a photo-sharing app included a few detours. It began as a mobile game in which friends answer a series of poll questions. The startup tech company rebranded as a place to share photos albums and, despite competing against a host of rivals in the same category, it’s already starting to carve out a specific niche.

Although the app’s proprietary features aren’t age-specific, the common perception is that many of them seem geared directly toward Generation Z (those born between about 1997 and 2012).

Among the most notable examples are:

• Eliminating beer, red cups, and other signs of alcohol consumption from photos
• Allowing users to manually hide photos of themselves uploaded by other users
• Help fraternity/sorority presidents manage photos uploaded from campus events

There are plenty of other features — like an AI-powered face-recognition function and an option to add a name to faces in order to more easily find a person later.

My generation

Gen Zers have either already entered or will soon enter a key demographic for consumer marketing, so companies like Swsh certainly have a profit motive for targeting this age group. But there’s a more direct link for company executives Alexandra Debow, Nathan Ahn, and Weilyn Chong, all of whom are members of Generation Z.

As Debow (the CEO) explained, the main goal of Swsh was to address the shortcomings of other platforms.

After being constantly asked after parties to share photos with others who attended, she said: “I realized there was this strong [need] to create the best shared photo album.”

Chris Agee October 11th, 2024

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