Interviewee names have been changed for privacy reasons.
Self-described as ”a BS-free social networking platform.”, according to Distractify, Hive Social is the new ever-growing, ever-changing social media app that has taken the internet abuzz. As a Gen-Z’er myself, I heard about Hive Social through a friend, who heard about the app through Tik Tok. I was immediately intrigued, not just as a social media director and constant social media user, but because my friend is known for not being an avid social media user.
“I don’t typically consume a lot of social media. I deleted a lot of them in early high school,” she said.
So what’s the buzz with Hive Social that is drawing in both the ghost user AND the constant social media user like flies to honey? I’ve had Hive Social for about a month and here is my honest review, along with my friends’ input.
To start with the basics, Hive Social is described by users as being a combination of “the best of Twitter, Instagram, and MySpace,”, according to Elite Daily.
“I think Hive has the potential to be successful because it combines well-received aspects of Instagram, Twitter, and MySpace,” my friend, Juliana, said.
As a user with over 40 posts myself, I would describe Hive as a casual combination of both Instagram and Twitter. You can post photos, or make “tweet like” posts on the app, whether it be posting random thoughts or “re tweeting” another person’s content. I’ve tended to stick to mainly photos on the app, whether it be posting or consuming content.
“It’s like a hole in the all restaurant that no one knows about yet, but caters to all the needs a social media user would want and then some…its an app that gives you instagram without the pressure,” fellow Hive user, Veronica, said.
Like Veronica, my favorite part of Hive is its casualty. I also appreciate the ease it takes to gain not only likes but also followers. I’ve had Hive for about a month. I have used the app consistently for about a few weeks. Even during my breaks from the app, I still gained a few followers and I was able to hop back on the #hivetrain with ease. With a few simple hashtags such as #hivetrain, #aesthetic or #selfie, and I gained almost 10 likes with barely any followers. I first tried posting on Hive with the intention of what Juliana originally described it as being, a “combination Pinterest/Instagram”.
I carefully chose what I would post and when. I created rows and rows, first a simple aesthetic wallpaper then a cute photo of myself, followed by another wallpaper. Repeat.
While I did enjoy constantly posting Sanrio characters, I began to enjoy the app more when I started casually posting rather than “trying” to make it aesthetic. To note: I think the both posting “types” work, it just depends on the person.
When casually posting, Hive felt more authentic and overall fun. Whether it be a cute cat picture, or a selfie with too dim lighting for Instagram, Hive has let me express myself on social media in a way I haven’t in a long time. It felt carefree and somewhat effortless.
While many have qualms with the bugs (not bees- technical issues) the app presents, I feel that while they are present, they have significantly lessened over the past month. The only time I truly had a sticky situation with the bugs was when I made my account, but have only experienced smaller things such as not being able to see my follower count for a minute. also can see the team’s hard work despite its smallness on its Twitter page. This is through constant retweets of users as a “shout out” of sorts when presenting their page on Twitter, I think that is what makes Hive so great, the close, casual and quiet community built by hard working, caring individuals.
I felt empowered when I learned that the creator is a woman, Kassandra, especially when seeing how passionate she is, as well as the Hive team overall is. They are all busy as bees when it comes to constantly updating the app, and empowering other users with update information, as well as just general shout outs of appreciation to their users.
Overall, while the app has a similar format to Instagram, it has perks the latter app doesn’t. But I didn’t experience Hive as a second Instagram. As someone who is constantly on social media for work, I experienced the app as, to put it simply, Hive. The place a young gal, or truly anyone, can put photos to share with the world without fear of their casualty.
My experiences in posting on other platforms, not only for my professional content, but also personal content, are extremely different from Hive. So while I still enjoy the other platforms for what they are, I truly enjoyed the app for its uniqueness. To be punny, Hive is the “bee’s knees” for anyone looking for a place to post casual memes or personal photos comfortably they might not want to on bigger social media apps, due to their casualness or oddness to some. Hive was overall accepting of the casual, cool and odd. The avid social media user, like me, the moderate user, like Veronica, and even the occasional user, like Juliana, can enjoy this app. As a Social Media Director, and generally a frequent social media user-
I can say that Hive Social has truly earned the “buzz” it has created.