The use of social media has always been associated with privacy or the lack of it. Being a crucial tool used by almost everyone in this digital age, social media platforms often employ algorithms and personalization based on data gathered from their users — to a point that they often know users better than their closest friends and family members. This practice has caused an alarm to people who are not comfortable in having their life determined by automation.
This is one of the problems AppZaloot aimed at addressing by redefining how social media is done and what it means to be safely connected. Founded in 2016, Australian company AppZaloot is using geo-location-based technology to make it easier than ever to stay up-to-date on the things that matter most to you, keeping you in the know wherever you go. The social media platform’s name is a play with the figure of speech “absolutely.”
One of the app’s defining features is its user-driven data social responsibility. AppZaloot founder Max Thomas said the app does not collect data from its users without their full consent, allowing them to use social media without worrying if their privacy is being compromised — certainly something that social media users in the Philippines would enjoy.
“We understand that most people don’t want to have their data used by social media companies, regardless if the data will be used for good intentions such as creating targeted ads and personalizing their feeds to enhance their social media experience. That’s why in AppZaloot, we value our users’ privacy by not collecting and sharing their data without their full consent, allowing them to see and enjoy how social media should really be done,” according to Thomas.
Recent surveys highlight the fact that not all people are comfortable with using social media due to privacy and security concerns. And with recent times teaching the world how important technology and online platforms are, AppZaloot believes it is important to make social media a safe place for all users. Aside from privacy, AppZaloot puts users in the driver’s seat and lets them control what they see on the app through three social feeds: the local feed, private friends’ feed, and global feed.
The app’s local feed enables users to interact with other users in their area, as near as 1 km from where they are to up to 25 km. This feature allows users to engage with their neighbors, strengthening community ties, providing help where it’s needed, and disseminating relevant local news and updates. Having a separate feed for their local community enables users to control what they want to see and when they want to see them as well, as opposed to getting ads and updates that other social media platforms integrate into their users’ feed.
Should AppZaloot users want to see ads that are based on the content that they frequently consume, they can access the app’s local advertising feed. There, they can check local establishments for accommodation, entertainment, local services, food, trades, and shopping. Having a dedicated feed just for ads ensures that users’ feeds are not clogged with pointless and irrelevant ads.
The app will offer businesses in the Philippines free advertising for the next few months to help them recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filipino entrepreneurs can set up a merchant account on the app and start promoting to customers near them for free.
As for their private friends’ feed, users can easily check what their close friends are up to without seeing ads and posts from other groups and pages. This feature allows them to focus on communicating with their friends and family, bringing back what it means to be social on social media.
AppZaloot’s global feed allows users to follow their favorite celebrities, influencers, businesses, and their other interests. In contrast to the local and private friends’ feeds, users can check out their favorite content and enhance their interests and hobbies through the global feed.
AppZaloot has many other useful and unique features and offerings that redefine what it means to use social media. For instance, the team behind the app is preparing to launch its very own crypto tokens called Zaloots, the pre-sale of which will be available by the end of June. What makes Zaloots a promising token is that it will be tradeable on several international decentralized crypto exchanges. It will also be eventually integrated into AppZaloot’s upcoming loyalty program, as well as used on the app for payments and rewards. The AppZaloot team believes having such features will make the token popular and sought after soon.
With AppZaloot working on expanding to foreign markets, the app will be able to help hundreds and thousands of social media users better connect with their communities and enjoy the online world with less hassle, just as it should be.
AppZaloot is currently available for download from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.