Messaging apps will become the next generation of Internet portals

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The New York Times wrote that the functions of messaging apps are becoming increasingly rich, and media and communications will gradually merge. Messaging apps will become the Internet portal for the younger generation of smartphone users.

The full article is as follows:

Entertainment news website BuzzFeed found an early photo of American movie star Dwayne Johnson, and suddenly had the idea to add a Christmas-themed background and then post it on Instagram. About 390,000 people liked the photo, and the photo became the most popular topic on Reddit.

“We didn’t post the photo to the BuzzFeed homepage,” Summer Anne Burton, BuzzFeed’s editorial director, told BuzzFeed. “We just put it on Instagram and it went viral.”

Nowadays, many users use apps like Instagram, WeChat, and Snapchat to share text and pictures with friends. This example may give us a glimpse into how such apps will be used in the future.

Some publishers, game developers and e-commerce companies have already seen mobile apps as a new platform for publishing and generating revenue. App developers are also expanding the scope of their apps and adding as many new features as possible. Investors are constantly raising the valuation of messaging apps because of their huge potential.

“Messaging apps are the most popular apps, and they’re at the top of the charts day after day, month after month,” said Fred Wilson, a partner at venture capital firm Union Square Ventures. “This is a reflection of how people use their phones.”

Wilson went on to say: "As they become mature 'gateways' for mobile content and mobile commerce, we will see tremendous opportunity."

The basic function of a messaging app is to allow users to quickly send text, pictures, videos and other content. However, the functions of messaging apps are increasing rapidly. For example, KakaoTalk users can share new apps with friends, Snapchat supports money transfers, and Line supports mobile payments.

People familiar with the matter revealed that media such as ESPN, Vice, and CNN will soon release original content through the Snapchat platform.

“Media and communications are going to converge,” said Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed’s chief executive. “In a year or two, some of the things we do now will be a major part of messaging apps.”

According to statistics from mobile analytics company Flurry, the global usage of mobile messaging applications increased by 103% year-on-year in 2014. Viber has more than 200 million monthly visitors, Line has 170 million users, and WhatsApp has more than 700 million monthly active users.

Although many messaging apps are not yet profitable, their valuations continue to rise. Last year, Rakuten spent $900 million to acquire Viber. Facebook Acquired WhatsApp for a whopping $21.8 billion. In the eyes of many entrepreneurs, WeChat is a model in the field of messaging applications.

Some people believe that the public nature of social applications such as Twitter and Facebook has led to the rapid growth of messaging applications. Marissa Campise, partner at SoftBank Capital, said that messaging applications are a more intimate experience. The user circle of messaging applications is smaller, and the scope of information sharing is smaller, but the participation and trust are very high.

Talmon Marco, Viber's chief executive, said messaging apps are ideal for promoting games, avatars and even physical goods because users use their phones frequently.

“Messaging apps take users’ attention away from other forms of business,” said Mitch Lasky, a partner at venture capital firm Benchmark.

Kik CEO Ted Livingston believes that young users will enter an era where smartphones are the gateway to the Internet and they are more willing to try new businesses and new things.

“We see this as a race to become the WeChat of the West. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” Livingston said.

This article comes from: http://tech.qq.com/a/20150126/069609.htm