Among 3.3 million "mini apps", I've come to understand the young people with wild imaginations.

01. A Moment of Inspiration: Young People Start Creating Small Apps

During the morning rush hour on the subway, Li Ming unlocked his phone in the crowded crowd. Instead of opening "Catch the Geese," he opened an app called "Inspiration." He entered a line of instructions: "Help me create a game of guessing idioms from pictures. You show the pictures and I'll guess." In just 30 seconds, a picture - guessing game exclusive to him was generated. He held up his phone and immersed himself in the game he "created."

A few days ago, Li Ming saw a review of Inspiration on social media, which said that "you can create a personalized small app with just a few sentences." He was immediately attracted and downloaded it at lightning speed. Since then, he has been hooked. He creates a "You Draw, I Guess" game during his commute, plays a quick doodle game during meetings, and even creates his own "Plane Wars" game when slacking off.

Young people like Li Ming, who have fallen in love with "creating apps by hand," are constantly emerging on social media. They are building their own small app universes on Inspiration -

They can be abstract. Netizen @Working Little Rabbit created an "Academic Curse Generator." By entering the name of a tutor or a thesis, lucky "curses" like "Successfully Accepted" and "Top Journal Hit" will pop up. A cross - talk enthusiast created a "Straight Man Generator," which can respond to any sentence in various ways like "Guo Degang" and "Yu Qian," so there's no need to worry about an awkward silence.

Straight Man Generator

They can be practical. Netizen @Eighteen Mouths created a fried - egg timer, which can calculate the perfect frying time according to the size of the egg, so there's no need to worry about not getting a runny - yolk egg. Some netizens also created an app called "What to Eat Tomorrow," which not only randomly suggests dish names but also gives a superstitious meaning to each dish, perfect for those with decision - making difficulties.

They can be suitable for slacking off. Netizen @Shi Yanran created a "Weird Café," simulating the operation of a café from scratch. @Tomorrow's Equipment directly created a low - budget version of "Plants vs. Zombies," specifically designed to prevent the boss from sneaking up from behind.

They can also be interest - oriented. A selfie enthusiast created a "Photo Fill - Light Gadget," so there's no need to carry a light board when going out to take pictures. @Xiaolei created an immersive "Time Machine," which allows users to see the music, games, drinks, and social hotspots of different eras, just like taking a ride on a time machine.

Time Machine

In addition, there are the "Curator's Nonsense Generator," "Daily Motivational Notes," "Milk Tea Risk Warning System," "Gas - Electric Price Difference Calculator," etc. The styles are diverse, and the creativity is endless.

It's obvious that more and more young people are joining the "app - creating" trend, making Inspiration one of the popular apps recently. Just six days after its launch, the number of downloads exceeded 2 million. The rush of users to create "Flash Apps" once caused the server to crash. In the two weeks since its launch, the number of apps created by users across the network has exceeded 3.3 million. A wave of "everyone creating AI Flash Apps" has also swept across social media -

Li Dan created a "Reply Robot," which can reply to fans in his signature tone. Lawyer @Gingerbread Bear created a "Negotiation Simulation Trainer" to improve negotiation skills through simulated battles with AI. College student @Fanfanfan_nihhh created a "Final Review Plan App," which can automatically formulate a review plan according to the daily review time. Even the 5 - year - old nephew of @Seven Joey created a small English spelling app and can adjust the difficulty level by himself...

The "Reply Robot" created by Li Dan

Regardless of occupation and age, everyone can easily turn their "moment of inspiration" into a playable and useful small app quickly. From emotional value to practical tools, from "useless but nice things" to daily necessities, there's nothing that young people can't create, only things you can't think of.

02. Finding an Exit in the Real World: Breathable, Soothing, and Self - Disciplined...

Young people creating apps is not just for fun during fragmented time.

These small apps are like a mirror, reflecting the situation and desires of young people in the real world.

Some people want to "fight back" against real - life situations in these small apps.

A mother who is squeezed by work and parenting is fed up with the nightly bedtime battles. She created a "Bedtime Story Generator" by herself. It's not just about saving effort but also about creating a breathing space for herself in the chaotic life and regaining control of her life. The "Academic Curse Generator" created by @Working Little Rabbit is a way for college students to have fun in the face of academic pressure, using cyber comfort to fight against real - world anxiety. Workers with workplace wisdom created a "Workplace Language Generator" and a "Boss - Defying Outfit Guide" with a joking tone. These apps not only help them better adapt to workplace rules but also open a window for them to release workplace pressure in the airtight workplace rules.

Boss - Defying Outfit Guide

Some people want to "bring their ideals into reality" in these small apps.

Outdoor enthusiast @Louloulouyisi, although afraid to actually set foot on the dreaded Aotai Line (a ridge hiking route connecting Mount Aoshan and Mount Taibai in the Qinling Mountains), created an interactive small app called "Aotai Line Crossing." Equipped with cyber gear, he can complete a passionate and safe expedition with cyber teammates. Another netizen, who can't keep a cat in real life, "raises a cat in the cloud" in a small app, taking care of it by feeding, playing, and cleaning, fulfilling his dream of being a cat owner.

Some people use these small apps as a way of "self - rescue" to regain control of their lives in the information world.

They are no longer satisfied with passively receiving information. To retire early, young people created a "FIRE Life Countdown Progress Bar." Those who don't want to be tied down by mortgage created a "Mortgage Money - Crusher," carefully calculating where every penny goes.

FIRE Life Countdown Progress Bar

Some people use these small apps as their "business cards" to show their personal characteristics.

Rational and self - disciplined consumers created a "Shopping Cool - Off Calculator" and a "Is It Really a Necessity? Decision - Making Tree." By comparing the price of goods with their hourly wage, they urge themselves to be calm and only buy what's right, not what's expensive. Young people with a delicate and family - oriented nature created a "Grandparents' Microphone" or a "Dad's Child - Rearing Survival Certificate," using these apps to care about their family members' physical and emotional well - being. High - efficiency people created a "Driving Test Assistant" and a "Chinese - English Detection" app, improving productivity even during fragmented time. Some netizens with big imaginations created a "Personal IP Value Estimator" and a "Math Discouragement Rate and Hairline Calculator," fully showing their humor and creativity.

From a moment of inspiration, to a 30 - second easy creation, and then to being seen, used, discussed, and shared by more people - this process is like a self - presentation, exposing one's life and imagination to more people.

This may also explain why young people are so keen on sharing the small apps they create on social media.

Seeing the small app they created in just 30 seconds become a topic of conversation among friends or a good companion for killing time, and even being liked and commented on by strangers, it's as if they have received recognition from others. That sense of achievement is priceless.

03. A Safe and Reliable Form of Expression

Behind the 3.3 million Flash Apps, what we see is not just the popularity of Inspiration, but also some welcome changes.

The most obvious change is the lowering of the technical threshold.

There was a time when app development was the exclusive domain of programmers, and AI always seemed to require repeated adjustments and modified instructions. But now, Inspiration, which can "create a small app in 30 seconds," has rewritten the rules of the game.

AI is no longer a high - threshold technology but a development tool that everyone can use. Whether you're a liberal arts student, a mother, or a five - year - old child, you can "create" your own app with just one sentence. The door to technology has opened to everyone in such a simple way.

The usage interface of Inspiration

Along with this, a new form of expression has emerged.

As we all know, today's young people are turning to more cautious and implicit ways of expression. They carefully format their WeChat Moments, and their Weibo posts are no longer as lively as before. Even when they see an interesting short video, they are reluctant to leave a comment. They surf the Internet anonymously, using the same default avatars. Crazy literature, various hot memes, and Internet mouthpieces have become their expression strategies to find resonance and cover in an uncertain world.

The emergence of Inspiration provides young people with another safe and reliable way of expression just in time.

Here, young people don't have to express themselves in long - winded speeches. Instead of sending long texts to friends to complain about their bosses, they can generate a "Boss Quote Generator" with one click to achieve an unspoken emotional resonance. When they want to vent their frustration, instead of shouting "AAAAAAA" on social media, the "Cyber Ink - Splashing Room Emotional Venting Board" is a more direct way to release their emotions. Young people's expression has changed from "telling you" to "showing you."

Boss Quote Generator

Here, the content of expression can be extremely mundane. A meme, a complaint, a small pain point in life, or a boring moment can all be turned into a clickable and shareable "small app." Young people who are not good at cooking can create a "Microwave Lazy Timer." Those who are always worried about leftovers can create a "Refrigerator Leftover Alchemist." It doesn't have to be perfect.

Ultimately, the endless imagination of young people on Inspiration reflects the emotions they haven't expressed or don't know where to place.

When the threshold of creation disappears, what Inspiration offers is not just convenience, but also the liberation of individual voices and the blooming of personalization. More and more young people are joining this trend of creating apps. Everyone is using their unique "small apps" to tell their unique stories and complete their personalized expressions.

So, when inspiration strikes, just touch the screen, open "Inspiration," and try to create something. Your first app will surely be one - of - a - kind.