<p>SAN FRANCISCO, March 31 (Reuters) - Create personalprofiles. Build networks of friends. Share photos, videos andmusic.</p><p>That might sound precisely like Facebook, but hundreds ofmillions of tech-savvy young people have instead turned to awave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweepingacross North America, Asia and Europe.</p><p>The hot apps include Kik and Whatsapp, both products ofNorth American startups, as well as Kakao Inc's KakaoTalk, NHNCorp's LINE and Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, which have blossomed in Asian markets.</p><p>Combining elements of text messaging and social networking,the apps provide a quick-fire way for smartphone users to tradeeverything from brief texts to flirtatious pictures to YouTubeclips - bypassing both the SMS plans offered by wirelesscarriers and established social networks originally designed aswebsites.</p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/mobile-apps-facebook-idUSL2N0CN0DZ20130401">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/01/facebooks-mobile-platform-ambitions-come-as-messaging-apps-gain-traction-with-youth/">Facebook&#039;s Mobile Platform Ambitions Come As Messaging Apps Gain Traction ...</a> (TechCrunch)</p><p><a href="http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Messaging-apps-to-eclipse-Facebooks-dominance-in_14047.html">Messaging apps to eclipse Facebook&#039;s dominance in future?</a> (Digit)</p><p><a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/technology/story/youth-flock-mobile-messaging-apps-may-be-threat-facebook-20130401">Youth flock to mobile messaging apps, may be threat to Facebook</a> (Straits Times)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dBUABmRba9l7k3MmB4XpSi36E1PwM&ned=us">4 additional articles.</a></p>