By COLlive reporter
Social media platforms have recently faced a public reckoning with a mass exodus of users and stock shares plummeting over growing displeasure of tactics and policies.
Messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal have seen an uptick in downloads since WhatsApp announced a change to its privacy policies, while Facebook and Twitter face public scrutiny over the self imposed censorship of opinions.
In the frum Jewish community, social media has been an area of concern for the exposure to information, language and visuals that are not suitable to Torah observant people.
These are just some of the reasons that propelled Shlomo Ehrentreu, an entrepreneur based in Brooklyn’s section of Crown Heights, to create his own viable alternative.
The result is a new app named Shmuzy which looks and feels like a social media platform which includes exciting features the almost deem using other apps unnecessary.
“Shmuzy is like a combination of Whatsapp, Instagram, Reddit and Twitter,” said Yehudah Meth, long-time communications director for Senator Simcha Felder and Assemblyman Dov Hikind. “Jewish influencers will be all over this.”
Ehrentreu describes it as a feature-rich social media alternative that lets you manage individual communication while also opening avenues to deeper engagement within your communities.
Most social media works the same way: an influencer needs to post content to begin engagement, but when that influencer ceases posting, all engagement pretty much ceases—the social media “experience” becomes fan-based, with comments and engagement performed piecemeal.
Shmuzy is different: It updates the social experience by creating branded forums where community members are encouraged to engage with each other under the umbrella of a topic or brand, thereby generating content for the brand without the need for an influencer’s consistent engagement. More meaningful dialogue is encouraged as users share spaces designed around similar interests. People will find do-it-yourself content, daily online shopping bargains, serious recipes… and each other.
Users can message each other directly or within groups (like WhatsApp), they can follow news sources and personalities (like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), listen to podcasts (like iTunes), and open a discussion thread about an area of interest (like Reddit).
Launched three months ago, thousands have already downloaded the free app, which is available on Apple and Google play. The safe-space app is also a welcome break from any political agendas, Ehrentreu says
All your communications. One better place.
Shmuzy is available for free download on the Apple Store and Google Play
Thank you Shloimy! You should be matzliach and buy out facebook. Kol hakavod. Please let the oilam know before you go public. We could use a real gvir in the shchuna
Did you say “we could use a real gvir in the schuna so that the schuna can depend on hir for tzedaka?
YOU (and I and all) should do, and be matlziach and become real gvirim.
I’ve downloaded the shmuzy app and I absolutely love it!!! Very user friendly and informative and appropriate content!!!
Shlomo, wishing you great success!!!!
TB
If it dose come famous & free speech it will be taken down like parler from the app store, there’s many that like the WhatsApp interface & like that that in the app, will be great if this app will be the same or have a option to have that, but still worried it will still be taken down by the competitors & big tech