Digital creation platform Picsart is launching new in-app communities dedicated to specific topics and interests, the company announced Tuesday. The communities are called “Spaces” and are described as a place where users can connect and create around the things they love.
In a blog post, Picsart explained that it sees Spaces as collaborative forums or group chats with people who share similar interests. When you’re in a space, you can browse, post content, and like and comment on other people’s posts.
Some of the current Spaces on Picsart are titled ‘Cats’, ‘Generative AI’, ‘K-pop Fans’ and ‘Light Effect Edits’. You can suggest new Spaces that Picsart can create. Picsart plans to allow users to create and manage their own Spaces in the future.
“Perhaps share your latest k-pop cover art edit, or show others how to use a new AI tool,” Picsart wrote in the blog post. “Maybe you’re looking for new nature content and just want some inspiration. Whatever it is, Spaces is a way to express your passions, collaborate and get inspired by others, learn new tips and tricks, and have an easier content discovery experience.”
Image Credits: Pics art
Picsart explains that for the more technical Spaces, such as “Light Effect Edits” and “AI Replace”, users share tips and tricks. As for more generally interesting Spaces, it’s all about content and user discovery.
To get started with Spaces, first make sure you have the most up-to-date version of Picsart. From there, you should see the new Spaces icon in the top right corner of your screen. You can browse different communities and view content even if you’re not yet a member of that Space. To create a post, you must join the Space. Once you’ve joined, you can tap the bar at the bottom of the screen labeled “create a post” and click the image library icon on the left, which will open your camera roll and allow you to select an image to post . You also have the option to post directly from the Picsart editor or your profile.
The rest of the feature functions like any other social platform. You can tap the heart icon to like a post, tap the post icon to comment, and tap the “Remix” button to continue editing and replaying another user’s post. If you want to report a post, you can do so by tapping the three dots at the top right of a post.
Image Credits: Picsart
Picsart has over 150 million monthly active users and 80% of them are under 35 years old. The company says its popularity and growth are related to what Gen Z wants and right now it believes those are micro-communities. During early testing, Picsart saw Spaces users generate 15x more content and saw 20x more engagement with posts on the platform.
With Spaces, Picsart says it’s focused on driving engagement between users and making content discovery easier, opening up the potential for premium and collaboration features in the future. The company says it aims to generate more direct revenue over time.
While Picsart already has some social features, such as the ability to follow others, the launch of Spaces indicates that the company wants to expand its platform beyond its digital creation tools and focus more on social collaboration. The introduction of Spaces also comes at a time when users are looking for alternatives to Twitter, which has been going downhill since Elon Musk bought the social network last year.
Spaces is currently available to all users in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia for both Standard and Gold members. Picsart plans to roll out Spaces to more users soon.