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Yope is the latest photo-sharing app vying to take on Instagram and TikTok. The pitch? A hybrid of a private Instagram and a group chat. While WhatsApp and Snapchat allow for group messaging and Instagram offers private accounts, Yope blends the best of bothcreating a space where users can share photos exclusively with their chosen circles. Launched in September 2024, Yope has grown exponentially over the past six months, now boasting 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, many of whom are in the investor-coveted Gen Z demographic. The company also claims that 40% of users are still active on the app seven days after installing it. According to TechCrunch, Yope has raised an initial seed round of $4.65 million on a valuation of $50 million. Users can create and name groups, invite friends, and post photos exclusively within those spaces. Each group features a wall where Yopes machine-learning technology stitches images into a continuously evolving photo collage. The app also offers a lock screen feature similar to the app Locket, displaying the most recent shared photos. A Snapchat-like streak function boosts engagement, while the recap featureakin to Google Photos and Apples Photos appcompiles shared images into a slideshow. Videos posted by Yope ambassadors on TikTok and Instagram have racked up more than 56 million views, and the company told TechCrunch that 70% to 80% of its users join through invites from friends. The apps user base currently skews young, with an average age of 18. Instagram and Snapchat have become platforms for curated content. While Gen Z users take a lot of photos, only 1% of them are shared, Bahram Ismailau, Yopes cofounder and CEO, told TechCrunch. Yope is betting on a shift away from public platforms like Instagram and X in favor of private, closed-group sharingreminiscent of an earlier internet era. Other apps have tried to capture this nostalgia. BeReal (RIP) had its moment, while Poparazzi and Locket also attemptedand failedto redefine social medias halcyon days. The question is: Can Yope succeed where others have fizzled out, or is it just another fleeting challenger to Instagram and TikTok?
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E-Commerce
The dramatic images of wealthy neighborhoods burning during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires captured global attention, but the damage was much more widespread. Many working-class families lost their homes, businesses, and jobs. In all, more than 16,000 structuresmost of them homeswere destroyed, leaving thousands of people displaced. The shock of this catastrophic loss has been reverberating across Southern California, driving up demand for rental homes and prices in an already unaffordable and competitive housing market. Many residents now face rebuilding costs that are expected to skyrocket. Climate-related disasters like this often have deep roots in policies and practices that overlook growing risks. In the Los Angeles area, those risks are now impossible to ignore. As the region starts to recover, communities have an opportunity to rebuild in better ways that can protect neighborhoods against a riskier future, but at the same time dont price out low-income residents. Research shows that low-income residents struggle the most during and after a disaster. Disaster assistance also tends to benefit the wealthy, who may have more time and resources to navigate the paperwork and process. This can have long-term effects on inequality in a community. In Los Angeles County, where one-third of even moderate-income households spend at least half their income on housing, many residents may simply be unable to recover. My research at the University of San Diego focuses on managing risk in the face of climate change. I see several ways to design solutions that help low- and moderate-income residents recover while building a safer community for the future. Better building policies that recognize future risk Before a disaster, communities trying to adapt to climate change often prioritize protecting high-risk, high-value property, such as a beachfront or hillside neighborhood with wealthy homes. My own research also shows a trend toward incremental climate adaptations that dont disturb the status quo too much and, as a result, leave many risks unaddressed. Climate risks are often underestimated, in part because of policy limitations and a political reluctance to consider unpopular solutions, such as restricting where people can build. Yet disasters once considered unimaginable, such as the Los Angeles wildfires, are occurring with increasing frequency. Making communities safer from these risks requires communitywide efforts. And that can mean making difficult decisions. Policy changes, such as updating zoning laws to prevent rebuilding in highly vulnerable areas, can avoid costly damage in the future. So can not building in risky areas in the first place. California already has some of the strictest wildfire-prevention codes in the country, but the same rules for new homes dont apply to older homes. Communities can invest in programs to help these property owners retrofit their homes by offering grants or incentives to remove highly flammable landscaping or to harden existing homes to make them less vulnerable to burning. Research shows that resilience efforts can spur climate gentrification, or displacement due to increases in property values. So, focusing on affordability in resilience efforts is important. For long-term affordability and resilience, governments can collaborate with communities to develop strategies such as supporting Community Land Trusts through grants, low-interest loans, or land transfers; implementing zoning reforms to enable higher-density, climate-resilient affordable housing; and incentivizing green infrastructure to strengthen community resilience. In some cases, communities may have to consider managed retreat (moving people out of high-risk areas) but with adequate compensation and support for displaced residents to ensure that they can rebuild their lives elsewhere. [Image: Beverly Hills Fired Department] Making the risks cear through insurance Insurance rates can also encourage residents and communities to lower their risks. Yet in many places, insurance policies have instead obscured the risks, leaving homeowners less aware of how vulnerable their property may be. For years, insurers underpriced wildfire risk, driven by market competition. California policies also capped the premiums they could charge. As fire damage and rebuilding costs soared in recent years, insurers unwilling to shoulder more of the risk themselves pulled out of the state. That left countless Californians uninsured and hundreds of thousands reliant on the state-run insurance known as the FAIR Plan. The plan imposes caps on payouts and is now struggling to stay solvent, resulting in higher costs that insurers are expected to pass on to consumers. Insurance reforms could help reduce the financial burden on vulnerable populations while also lowering overall risk. To achieve this, the reforms could incentivize building more resilient homes in less risky areas. As seen with the L.A. fires, what your neighbor does matters. Reducing fire risk in each home can make entire neighborhoods safer. Insurers can provide a road map for how to reduce those risks, while state and local governments can provide assistance to retrofit homes and help ensure that insurance premiums remain affordable. There are also innovative approaches to fund resilience efforts that can include insurers. One example is New Yorks Climate Change Superfund Act, which requires fossil fuel companies to finance climate adaptation efforts. Equipping communities with resilience hubs When disasters strike, local groups and neighbors play critical roles in stabilizing neighborhoods. But residents also need more specialized help to find housing and apply for disaster aid. Building resilience hubs in communities could help support residents before, during, and after disasters. The resilience hub in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles provides one model for what these spaces can achieve. Its anchored in a community arts center with solar power and backup energy storage. Residents can drop in to cool down during heat waves or charge their phones during power outages. It also hosts community classes, including in disaster preparedness. During and after a disaster, resilience hubs can serve as central organizing points. They can provide crucial information, resources, and assistance with completing paperwork to access aid. Having access to skilled help in navigating what can be a complicated, time-consuming process is often critical, particularly for people who arent native English speakers. Getting assistance is also often critical for displaced renters, who may have little certainty about when or if they will be able to return to their homes. Understanding their legal rights can be confusing, and rising costs as rental housing is rebuilt can price them out of the market. Research shows that building a supportive community can provide a crucial social safety net when dealing with disasters and also boost the communitys social and economic well-being. Reframing policies for everyone The catastrophic L.A. wildfires were a powerful reminder that governments and communities need to think carefully about the risks they face and the role policies may play as they learn to live with greater fire risk. Building a resilient future in a warming world will require bold, innovative, and collective strategies that support communities while advancing equitable solutions. Nichole Wissman is an assistant professor of management at the University of San Diego. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
It used to be that if you asked a classroom of kids what they want to be when they grow up, youd get answers like firefighter and astronaut. These days, Gen Alpha dreams of becoming content creators. A survey of 910 U.S. Gen Alpha kids (ages 12 to 15) by social commerce platform Whop found that nearly a third want to be YouTubers, while one in five aspire to become TikTok creators. Content creation isnt their only ambition19.1% also expressed interest in becoming mobile app or video-game developers. While the “iPad kid” generation is learning plenty from screen time, many feel their schools arent keeping up with the rise of digital careers. More than half of Gen Alpha say they feel unprepared by their education when it comes to building a personal brand and online presencekey components of a successful online career. Everyone wants to be a content creator, especially kids who have grown up online. They can see the opportunities that exist to make money, find a community, and build a following, says Cameron Zoub, Whop cofounder and chief growth officer. [For] a 15-year-old today, if you have a laptop, theres a million ways to make money on the internet. Long gone are the days of lemonade stands and car washes. Gen Alpha sees real earning potential in streaming video games, selling products online, reviewing brands, securing sponsorships, and even competing in esports tournaments. Entrepreneurship is also on the rise. More than one in six Gen Alpha kids aspire to start their own business, with many already earning hundreds of dollars annually, despite being too young for traditional jobs. Brands are taking notice too: Nearly a quarter of Gen Alpha report that either they or someone they know has been approached for a sponsorship deal. With mid-tier YouTubers charging $5,000 to $10,000 per brand partnership, thats some serious pocket change.
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E-Commerce
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