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Dispo’s sudden popularity: A case study in the power of nostalgia and authenticity
And what it means for design.
With COVID-19 closing in on the one-year mark, people are tired, anxious, and unsettled. In times of stress and uncertainty, we lean into nostalgia, seeking out feelings of familiarity, comfort, and normalcy.
For example, while The Last Dance was a great documentary, its massive popularity was likely buoyed by a homebound and nostalgic audience. Reliving the Chicago Bulls’ basketball greatness in the 90s offered many a much-welcomed throwback to simpler times.
Dispo, a new photosharing app that mimics a disposable camera, is the latest benefactor of nostalgia. Its design combines a nostalgic societal experience — taking and developing disposable photos — with simplicity, authenticity, and community to create a powerful product experience. Dispo has hit its 10,000 beta user limit and reportedly is in talks with Sequoia, a16z, and Benchmark for a potential $100 million valuation.
To understand Dispo’s rise, we need to examine changes in the photosharing ecosystem over the years.
Instagram’s authentic beginnings
When Instagram came onto the scene in 2010, it was about sharing elegant photos and expressing oneself. Co-founder Kevin Systrom had a penchant for finer things and wanted Instagram to have an elevated aesthetic. He initally created an app called Burbn that allowed users to check-in, post their plans, and share photos.
Systrom paired up with co-founder Mike Krieger, and they realized that Burbn was too complicated. After watching users’ excitement and engagement around sharing photos, they decided to strip away the other functionality. They doubled down on improving the photo-sharing experience and made it easy for users to apply filters to make their photos more polished. The app exploded in popularity, and Facebook acquired the company two years later in 2012. Since then, Instagram has evolved, many would argue for the worse.
