Move over, BeReal, a new app is winning the hearts of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Setlog, a free South Korean app, went viral as most things do in the country — after K-pop stars posted about it. All the nine active members of the popular boy band Seventeen, and Karina, a member of the girl group Aespa, have posted vlogs created with the app.
Setlog’s concept is simple: Get a group of friends to commit to taking short videos every hour of the day, and the app compiles them into a portrait-orientation video at the end of the day, easy to share on social media.
It lets people see who’s the early riser of the group, who’s the night owl, and what their friends are up to throughout the day. It’s also handy for friends separated by time zones.
Seventeen’s members put Setlog to the test during their 11th debut anniversary celebrations, recording a group log of their day’s activities and dinner together.
The group’s members have also done individual video logs — Joshua Hong, one of the band’s American members, got on the app during a gala event in China. Seungkwan and DK, the group’s main vocalists, recorded behind-the-scenes footage of their concert stop this weekend.
As of press time, Setlog is the third-most-popular app on Apple’s App Store in South Korea, ahead of Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. It’s also popular in other Asian countries, such as Singapore and Japan. According to app data tracker Appfigures, it was downloaded more than 2 million times in May.
Its design interface is cutesy, with a minimalistic background, a couple of colorful illustrations, and a Comic Sans-like font. The home screen lets users either create a new group of up to 12 people or join an existing group using a pin. Users can start vlogging their days at 4 a.m.
The app brings to mind others like BeReal, a photo-sharing app that prompts users to share two pictures — one from the front camera and one from the back — every day. It’s also reminiscent of the Locket widget app, which shows live photos from friends right on users’ phone home screens.
Setlog fits right into the “friendship apps” trend over the past few years, where apps that enable real-world connections and reduce loneliness have gained popularity. Apps like Timeleft, 222, Clockout, and Bumble BFF all connect people digitally and encourage them to meet in real life.
Read the full article here
