Discord is Expanding
Discord has recently acquired Gas, a poll-based social media platform where users can anonymously complement one another, cultivating a more supportive environment for teenagers.
The term “gas” originates from “gassing your friends up.”¹ Popular among teenagers, the Gas app promotes a distinct social media experience that encourages positivity and kindness. Something that Discord users will appreciate. This acquisition introduces a fresh aspect to the already robust Discord community, enhancing users’ ability to interact and form bonds.
How does Gas work?
When users sign up for the Gas app, it uses their geographical data to help them choose their high school and allows them to add students from their school.² Users cannot, however, talk to or message anyone. Instead, users are given multiple-choice questions about classmates or friends that have answers in the form of superlatives. Inquiries like “Who should DJ every party?”, “Who looks good in every photo?” are just a few examples. The fire flame emoji is awarded to the person with the most votes in any particular category.
The Founder of Gas
Discord announced its excitement to work with Nikita Bier, the founder of Gas. Before working with Discord, Bier co-founded the app TBH which was acquired by Facebook .³ The popular app shares similar features and core values with the gas app as they both allow users to give and receive compliments. In October, the Gas app surpassed TikTok to claim the #1 place in the App Store.⁴ In November, Bier announced on Twitter that his app had reached 10 million downloads.
Terms of Acquisition
Although the terms and conditions of the acquisition have not been made available to the public, Discord has announced that Gas will remain a separate entity. At the same time, the Gas team will combine with Discord to discover new innovative solutions for broadening Discord’s community outside of the gaming world. Discord was initially an app that appealed to gamers, but has been trying to widen its user base. In 2020, Discord raised $100 million with the aim of expanding beyond the gaming community. Since then, the company has been focused on reaching non-gaming creators and communities.
Reputation
The app has gained strong recognition over the last several months, with the Wall Street Journal naming Gas the “hottest app right now.”⁶ Since October 2022, the positive affirmation-based software has added 30,000 new users every hour, for a total of roughly 1 million daily active users.⁷ The Gas App will foster more exciting and entertaining dialogues amongst consumers due to its expanding user base. The acquisition is evidence of Discord’s dedication to creating healthy online communities, and positively impact the lives of its users.
Written by: Nayeli Garcia, Cynthia Estrada, Gwendolyn Miller
Image Design by: Justina Andrawis
Attributes
1. https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/17/23558563/discord-gas-app-social-media-acquisition
2. https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/17/discord-acquires-gas-a-compliments-based-social-media-app-for-teens/
3. https://abc7chicago.com/gas-app-social-media-new-store/12383101/
4. https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/instagram-discord-social-media-platforms-balance-teen-attention-parents-concerns
5. https://mashable.com/article/discord-gas-social-app
6. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/Discord-Acquires-Teen-App-Gas/640574/
7. https://discord.com/blog/welcoming-gas-to-discord
8. https://dot.la/discord-gas-social-media-app-2659283079.html
9. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/19/discord-is-paying-teens-to-give-each-other-compliments.html
10. https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/16/facebook-acquires-anonymous-teen-complimentapp-tbh-will-let-it-run/