An app billing itself as a Facebook killer soared in popularity over the weekend.
Vero is a rising social media platform that markets itself as a less-cluttered version of Facebook, allowing users to connect more directly to friends and family members.
The app was launched in 2015, but has rapidly gained new users in the last few months.
Vero is an app that brands itself as an elevated Facebook. The company says its algorithms that dictate what users see on their news feeds allow for more direct connections (file photo)
Over the weekend, the app gained so much traction that the company experienced technical issues.
Vero’s sudden take off comes as Facebook has faced increased scrutiny around the algorithms that power its News Feed, user targeting techniques and the spread of false information on the platform.
The company says it’s wary of the algorithms that control what Facebook users see on their feeds.
Vero is branded as an elevated Facebook, claiming on its Twitter page that it is ‘taking the way you connect and share in real life and translating it online.’
Over the weekend, the company received such a high number of new subscribers that it experienced technical issues (file photo)
Its rise has come on the heels of a great deal of backlash against Facebook, with users complaining about the algorithm that dictates what is on their news feed.
It has retweeted users praising the app and taking direct hits at Facebook.
‘Do you want a social media experience that’s like real life? No algorithms, no data mining, just real people enjoying their lives. I’m on @verotruesocial now and I’d love you to join me,’ one user tweeted.
‘Join me on Vero. It’s a v[ery] carefully conceived & curated new social media site. F*** Facebook!,’ another user tweeted.
The company’s manifesto says: ‘Most social networks reduce everyone to a friend or a follower.
‘This encourages us to only share the parts of our lives we think are the most interesting.’
The biggest difference between Vero and other networks is the fact that the items on Vero users’ feeds show up in chronological order.
Additionally, Vero charges fees for users unlike social media giants Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
Vero is gaining traction as Facebook has faced increased scrutiny around the algorithms that power its News Feed, user targeting techniques and the spread of false information on its site
The company announced on Wednesday that Vero’s first million users would not be charged, which ignited a flood of new users to the platform.
It tweeted that same day that a ‘high volume of registrations’ led to technical issues.
The company later announced that it believed it had identified the problem and is working to solve it.