Surprise! New IOS app turns spontaneity into online experience
Jan 22, 2023
Ramat Hasharon, Tel Aviv Jan 21, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - While big tech companies spend billions keeping people engaged on their platforms at all costs, turning people into content-consuming zombies, one bootstrapped startup has taken a stand, creating an innovative new app that puts users at the center of the experience through humor and surprise.
Israeli technology developer Syfela is pleased to announce the recent launch of ShokShak, a new mobile entertainment and communication application after two years of development.
The core concept is simple, users send a picture or video to a friend and receive a video of their first-time reaction while watching the content.
"We've built many fun features around this concept," said Avishay Frister, Syfela founder. "You can do it while chatting with a friend to spice up the chat experience, you can place a surprise reverse filter on them to wear while surprise-reacting to your content, or maybe even have fun with a group of friends by hosting a 'react-to-watch' room, where every friend has to first surprise-react to the content you've shared."
While most social apps share content, he said. ShokShak was built to create unique, sharable, memorable moments.
"When we started this project, we thought deeply about how we can compete with what's going on," Frister said. "And how can we get people to focus more on their meaningful relationships with so much distraction out there."
After much contemplation, we concluded that the best way to reach new users while creating stronger relationships was through humor and surprise," he continued. "Each, in their own right, brings people who matter to each other closer together in a way that leads to a stronger connection."
And he sees that as just the beginning.
"Take offline party games," Frister said. "I believe What do you meme has sold around 10 million units on Amazon. That could easily equate to 40 million people actually playing the game. The 5-second rule is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 million units sold, with tens of millions playing it. The volume is simply astonishing."
He said those numbers validate the desire for people to connect through fun, uniting activities.
"The most important insight from this, and the reason I point out these statistics, is that it shows people are hungry for deeper connections and choose humor and surprise to find them," Frister said. "And the exciting thing is that there are so many ideas and variations for party games that could be adapted to the platform we've built."
"Unfortunately, because they are physical, it's hard and costly to properly test what has potential. But the sky is the limit when you can quickly deploy your ideas at a very low cost and see instant data to understand what's working and isn't."
"Why wait for the rare occasion when everyone gets together in the same room to have fun and meaningful moments."
Not long ago, people enjoyed interpersonal communication as a part of their daily lives, he said.
"Today, you walk into a restaurant, you see people sitting together, but everyone is on their phones," Frister said.
He said the world's largest tech firms have purposefully driven that shift.
"You might remember why Facebook, for example, was so hot at the beginning," Frister said. "The company's focus was solely on getting people who matter to each other to experience more of each other in positive ways. Today, the general trend in big tech is the exact opposite."
"I have kids, and I see what's going on with the younger generations," Frister said. "I understand that times have changed, but I believe we can create a better future if investors and startups focus on original concepts that unite family and friends."
That desire to create stronger relationships through a mobile app led directly to the development of a new kind of social media app that shares more than a message but also an experience.
The most important insight from this, Frister said, is that people are hungry to connect in more profound ways.
"And the exciting thing is that there are so many ideas and concepts to help them to achieve this," he said.
The surprise-reaction mechanism employed in ShokShak will continue to be developed and improved upon, along with adopting games and other activities into a great mobile experience for family and friends.
ShokShak is currently available in the Apple App store. An Android version is also under development and is expected to launch soon.
For more information about the ShokShak app or to try it out, visit shokshak.com.
Media Contact
Avishay Frister, Founder, Syfela
+972-52-599-5050
22 Maskit Herzliya, Israel 4673322
Source :Syfela
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
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