Soul Zhang Lu Captivates Generation Z Users with Authenticity

In recent years, the rise of Generation Z, a young demographic, has brought about a growing demand for unfiltered socialization and a yearning for authenticity. While BeReal has gained rapid popularity as a testament to this trend, Soul App is another rising star in the social networking landscape that has equally captivated the younger generation. Under its founder, Soul Zhang Lu’s leadership, this app has creatively transcended external labels like appearance, age, and location, serving as a platform for young individuals to express their true selves and share their genuine thoughts.

Unlike other social platforms that prioritize establishing quick and realistic connections, Soul Zhang Lu, shared in a media interview that the core purpose of this platform is to provide a stress-free social platform where individuals can express themselves genuinely and receive timely, high-quality feedback. She made it through a series of innovative designs.

Soul Zhang Lu developed a unique avatar identity system to escape from social pressure

In order to liberate users from the constraints and pressures of real-world relationships, Soul App allows them to freely and authentically express, share, and interact with each other on the platform. Soul Zhang Lu intentionally designed Soul App to deviate from the common practices of guiding users to upload their address books or import their existing social connections. Additionally, users are not allowed to upload real photos as avatars. The purpose behind these decisions is to assist users in shedding their masks of pretense. Within the confines of real-life relationships, individuals often have limited opportunities to express vulnerability and tend to conceal their true feelings. Soul App’s pressure-free social space enables people to shed the burden of maintaining a persona and liberally express their genuine emotions, thus reinstating a sense of ease and intimacy in social interactions.

In terms of product design, Soul Zhang Lu eschews the use of real photos and instead incorporates a 2D/3D avatar identity system. This approach aims to eliminate the influence of physical attributes like attractiveness and geographic location, allowing users to find like-minded partners based on shared interests. According to a report by iResearch, a Chinese consulting agency, Soul App is the first social networking platform in China that requires all users to interact using a self-created virtual identity represented by an avatar.

By designing immersive gamification scenarios, Soul Zhang Lu created a social playground

Under the leadership of Soul Zhang Lu, Soul App has also incorporated a plethora of immersive gamification scenarios. These include Soul Planet, Audio Chat, Soul Cam and virtual party, etc. Such features enable users to express themselves more easily, connect and interact in a gamified environment, partake in shared experiences, and foster deep and meaningful social relationships.

Meanwhile, Soul App has consistently introduced new features to enhance user experience. One such addition is the Anonymous Chitchats, a recently launched feature that offers real-time group chats for users to connect with new, like-minded friends. Another innovative gamified feature is Bombing Cats, a cat-animated time-killing strategy card game. These two features have garnered significant popularity among Soul App users. In this way, Soul App creates a lively and dynamic environment where users can engage in meaningful conversations, share ideas, and form connections with individuals who possess similar interests.

Soul App enables young individuals to embrace the joy of social interactions

Following seven years of steady expansion since its inception by Soul Zhang Lu in 2016, Soul App has emerged as a leading social platform and a standout unicorn company in China. During the media interview, Zhang also emphasized Soul App’s dedication to facilitating connections among individuals who share similar interests and fostering a feeling of belonging, an aspect that can sometimes be challenging to attain in offline settings. Through Zhang’s unwavering determination and strategic employment of inventive approaches like interest graph-driven relationship establishment and gamification, Soul App has continuously gained popularity among younger demographics.

With Soul Zhang Lu’s astute insights, Soul App has succeeded in creating a social platform that caters to the younger generation’s pursuit of authenticity. By providing a stress-free environment for young people to genuinely express themselves, share their lives, and forge friendships based on shared interests, Soul App assists them in rediscovering the inherent beauty of social life and embracing the simple and enjoyable aspects of social interactions.