Seven Lowkey Social Media Apps for When Instagram is Too Much

As Instagram feels increasingly curated — even if it’s supposed to feel the opposite — and scrolling on TikTok quickly turns into accidentally watching an entire romcom on your For You page, social media can often feel like a time-sucking and image-obsessed trap. However, below are some lowkey forms of social media to stay connected with your friends and your hobbies in a less regulated environment.

1. Share your music taste on Spotify

Starting with the capability to follow other users, Spotify has revolutionized the social capabilities of music streaming, making the app a personalized and intimate way to interact with others online through music. You can create a collaborative playlist for the weekend’s get-together or join your best friend in making a Blend, an algorithm-generated playlist which tests your music taste compatibility and puts together a playlist for both of you to enjoy. You can also put your favorite playlists on your profile for others to listen to. But choose wisely — not all playlists are meant to be public.

2. Log your reading on Goodreads

If your preferred weekend activity is curling up in a blanket with a cup of coffee and a good book, take advantage of the social capabilities on Goodreads. More than just tracking your current reading and working towards your yearly goal, you can connect with friends on the platform to see what they are reading. Find your next book recommendation, share a spirited review, or even join an online book club to read along with other people on the platform.

3. Get active with Strava

If you’re one of the many people who has recently jumped on the running bandwagon, Strava is the next app to download. Post the map of your morning run, along with an optional caption and photos, and watch the kudos— Strava’s form of likes — roll in. If you’re running with friends, the app will sync up your activities, and if you’re looking for popular routes in a new area, Strava has a heatmap to show you where people tend to go. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a runner: Strava supports all activities from walking, to golf, to stand-up paddleboarding. Getting — and giving — kudos is the ultimate way to connect with friends over shared accomplishments, whether it’s a 100-mile bike ride or a one-mile walk.

4. Curate your perfect wardrobe with Depop

As a fashionable mix between Instagram and eBay, Depop allows users to follow sellers, save liked pieces, and create their perfect closet. From vintage finds to clothing from celebrities, Depop has a unique clothing item for everyone, even if it just remains in their likes. By cutting out the middlemen between the buyer and the seller, Depop transactions foster a close community between those on the search to buy or sell unique clothes at — usually — good prices.

5. Keep up with your friends’ financials on Venmo

While usually viewed as a simple mobile payment service, Venmo’s friending feature and allowance for funny tag lines to be paired with each payment makes the app its own form of social media. Keep up to date with what your friends have been eating and drinking, as well as who they’ve been paying for road trip gas. Send money to your friends for a birthday coffee or request them for Friday night’s Uber home.

6. Share your newest hike on AllTrails

Perfect for the fall foliage season, AllTrails lets you find the perfect hiking routes around your area. Rate the trails, write reviews, and prep for your next outing by looking at what the hikers before you shared. Like Strava, you can follow your friends on the app to share your outdoor adventures or share the next hike you want to do together.

7. Stay off your phone (but close to your friends) with Opal

Opal lets you block distracting apps during certain times of day with stronger restrictions than Apple’s built-in screen time reminders, nudging you to spend more time off your phone and hopefully with your friends. On Opal, you’re able to compare your screen time with your friends on a leaderboard, which serves as an accountability measure and allows you to connect with them through a shared goal.

—Staff Writer Hannah M. Wilkoff can be reached at hannah.wilkoff@thecrimson.com