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In the growing universe of digital engagement, I stand at the forefront. As the Head of Partnerships at Basket, a trailblazing UGC gaming publisher, I’ve witnessed firsthand the revolution in digital self-expression led by Gen Z. Gone are the days of mere profile pictures. Enter the era of bespoke avatars, where every pixel becomes a declaration of identity.

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Take, for instance, the popular Roblox influencer “Luhvbott” with 1.3 Million followers on YouTube and 1.4 Million followers on TikTok. Her personality shines through her signature black tresses with a white bow and heart-shaped earrings, all set against her muted pink palette. Her words capture it best, “My avatar is more than pixels; it’s a reflection of my distinct vibe and essence.”

MySpace, Facebook, TikTok and now Threads. Society is all-too familiar with the ebb and flow of social media apps created to hook mass audiences, but tech entrepreneurs and app co-founders Emily Yuan and Nico Laqua are creating—not cloning—with their new platform for authentic online interaction.

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Mirroring existing social structures, Picnic focuses on the natural development of culture through shared interests and societal niches. Users join "circles" that pertain to their favorite TV shows, musical acts, movies and more, then share news and content, mostly in the form of fan-art and other images, about that subject with their circle peers.

Artificial Intelligence is here, and it’s here to stay. What many people don’t realize is that they’ve already been using AI for years. If you’ve ever asked Siri or Alexa for anything, used a chatbot on a website or asked Waze or Google Maps for directions, you’ve probably used AI. Although, generative AI is what’s recently grabbed everyone’s attention. Generative AI is a system that generates content, whether it be text, images or video in response to a prompt from someone. Generative AI has made the power of artificial intelligence the most accessible it’s ever been. Anyone can go to OpenAI, create a free ChatGPT account and ask AI for almost anything–and statistics have shown that they do.

A recent study conducted by Picnic, a social media platform for Gen-Z to explore, create, and engage with online communities, called The AI Pulse of Gen-Z: Gen-Z’s Unfiltered Truth About AI looks at how artificial intelligence

Gen Z is the first generation to grow up as “digital natives.” Unlike me (a “geriatric millennial”) they’ve never used a landline, can’t imitate the WHOOOOSH KA-DOONGA-DOONGA sound of a 56k dialup modem connecting to AOL, and spend upwards of 9 hours per day on their phones. Now, imagine this youthful generation navigating an AI-driven landscape. Are they excited or concerned? As innovations such as ChatGPT and AI capabilities emerge, Gen Z is uniquely positioned to take full advantage of this technology — or to have the tech take advantage of them. In light of this, Picnic, a platform designed for Gen-Z to explore, create, and engage with online communities, has released a Trend Report titled “The AI Pulse of Gen-Z: Revealing Gen-Z’s Unfiltered Truth About AI.”

To Explore, Create, and Engage With Online Communities. As COO of Picnic, Emily Yuan wants to continue to build the future of communities’ growth online. She co-founded Picnic after dropping out of Stanford as a computer science major.

We’ve got ANOTHER update for you and this one contains of the community’s most requested features. Dark Mode is officially here! This feature is now available on the Picnic web app.

Last week we started our celebration of Pride Month by letting you know about all the great LGBTQ+ Circles on Picnic. Since then we’ve seen all sorts of great videos, photos, and Gacha creations popping up on our feed. We wanted to keep the enthusiasm going and after seeing how your creativity made the AI Challenge so much fun, we decided we’d start another challenge!

Picnic, the social media app where teens can express themselves and make meaningful connections through online communities, is proud to shine a spotlight on its growing LGBTQ+ community featuring Gacha Girl creations with more than 200,000 users, 8.6 million views, and more than 20,000 posts.

Last week, you may have seen the AI Pods feature on Picnic, and we’re already excited by the creativity we’ve seen unleashed in the communities.

Monetization of communities is the future of social networking, and Picnic is committed to empowering creators and embracing this concept. That’s why we have created the Community Incubation Program.

In conjunction with Google I/O, Picnic is excited to highlight its commitment to Google’s technology stack, including Flutter for front end, Go for back end, and Google Cloud. As a company entirely powered by Google’s technologies, Picnic’s innovative approach has positioned it as one of the fastest-growing social media apps in the market ...

From the elegant showrooms of Ralph Lauren to the vibrant digital spaces of Picnic, the narrative is evolving: imperfection is no longer merely an individual journey, but a shared movement toward authenticity.

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In my youth, I was driven by ambition. As a young professional, I found myself amidst the glitz and glamor of the fashion industry, interning at Conde Nast and later serving in marketing for Polo Ralph Lauren and W Hotels. While the experience was a dream come true, it also offered a harsh reality check.

MySpace, Facebook, TikTok and now Threads. Society is all-too familiar with the ebb and flow of social media apps created to hook mass audiences, but tech entrepreneurs and app co-founders Emily Yuan and Nico Laqua are creating—not cloning—with their new platform for authentic online interaction.

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Mirroring existing social structures, Picnic focuses on the natural development of culture through shared interests and societal niches. Users join "circles" that pertain to their favorite TV shows, musical acts, movies and more, then share news and content, mostly in the form of fan-art and other images, about that subject with their circle peers.

"For someone who wants to leverage technology to change the world, attending Stanford was a dream. Each day was packed with classes taught by some of the most brilliant people in each field, spending time with so many inspirational classmates, and of course, working on innovative and exciting projects. During my time at Stanford, I was able to take a 20-person class with Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO, and conduct fireside chats with the CEOs of Poshmark, Quora, and YCombinator. My sophomore year, I met Nico Laqua, a three-year graduate of Columbia University and together, we created Picnic,

From Picnic’s inception, our mission was more than creating a community app for Gen-Z. We aimed to build an ecosystem where they could safely navigate the digital realm. In this spirit, we surveyed 2.5k Gen-Z users on Picnic, and the results unveiled fascinating sentiments about how this digital-native generation feels about AI in school, social, art, and more. 

Guess what? School’s out and summer is IN! Time to ditch those textbooks, because we’re diving headfirst into the season of endless possibilities. So, what’s the plan?

If you opened the Picnic app recently (as in, like, today) you may have noticed we’ve made a few changes. Changes we made based on YOUR feedback, and ones that will help make Picnic the best place for you to be yourself, create content, and connect with Circles you hang out in.

Last week we asked the Picnic Community to make use of our latest feature, the AI Pod Store, and create an AI Friend for the trending AI circle. We put some gift cards up for grabs, notified the entire app, and waited anxiously to see what your prompts would generate.

Maybe the reason why social networks fade away over time is as simple as different generations wanting different experiences. Picnic, an emerging social network, exemplifies this point.

On this episode, Savvy Schmidt interviews Nico Laqua and Emily Yuan, developers of the Picnic App - a new app that promises to take the social media world by storm. Their new app was borne of what they believe is much needed - and lacking - in today's current social media platforms. With younger generations in mind, Nico & Emily promise a myriad of brand-new features, more interactivity, and even ways for users to flex their creative skills. Join us on this fun & eye-opening episode!

The world is on the cusp of a transformative era driven by artificial intelligence (AI). With its ability to revolutionize industries, AI is regarded as the fourth industrial revolution...

A new social media app has ties to Winona. Nico Laqua, the grandson of longtime Winona residents Dr. Roger and Peg Zehren, started the app Picnic with the vision of creating a better place for online communities to grow and monetize.