The new apps taking over where TikTok may have left off
What happens when you annoy 100 million millennial and Gen-Zers with a penchant for speaking their mind? US President Trump is finding out first hand.
A recent declaration by the president that he intends to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok in America has enraged the digital masses and caused a meme-fuelled backlash that that pundits say may well cost him the youth vote.
Creators that have spent the last few years building up their accounts to amass thousands fans and influence are under direct threat. Although there are talks of Microsoft buying the platform, these negotiations are still precarious and would be subject to intense scrutiny by the government due to allegations that TikTok nefariously mines user data for the Chinese government.
Either way, things are not looking good for the millions of TikTokers with many now looking to move their user bases to other platforms. But the question remains – which platform, and when? DDW reviews the very best alternatives and their prospects:
Instagram Reels
Instagram has a history of copy-catting the trendiest apps out there, launching them inside the IG platform, and beating everyone with a giant user base. The most salient example is their move against Snapchat – virtually copying every element of the app, down to the terminology (remember Snapchat ’stories’?) and snapping up (pun intended) a huge chunk of their user base (and advertisers).
Now, IG wants to take on TikTok by releasing a video-based function called ‘Reels’ that is practically copy-pasted from the original. Despite its questionable origins, Reels promises to be a powerful new player and will surely attract a large part of the content creators that already have a solid base on the Instagram platform. Like TikTok, Reels allows users to create 15 second videos set to music and make edits on the fly. Launch date is set to early August so we may not have to wait too long to check out this new kid on the block.
Byte
The world of micro-content (short, snappy, videos) would not be possible without the legacy of Vine; the original short-term video platform. Vine was acquired in 2012 by Twitter who at the time were excited about expanding on the wildly popular app’s grip on short form content and hugely successful content creators. However, after four years under the uncommitted management of Twitter, the app was shuttered.
Now, another four years later, Vine’s original founder Dom Hofmann is back for round 2; this time with a project called Byte. With two and half million users already and a loyal fanbase inherited from Vine – Byte may well be the next big thing.
Triller
Hollywood’s take on TikTok features celebrity-heavy partnerships in music and film. With over 20 million users and growing, this app hopes to capture some of the bigger names in the TikTok universe to add to its glossy roster of creators.
Dubsmash
This German-made app has been around since 2014 – fighting the good fight against the Chinese giant ByteDance that owns TikTok. With over 200 million users (allegedly built using just 3 programmers) it is definitely a contender to take back pole position against TikTok if does not manage to stay open in the US.
With the US election looming in the horizon, the future of TikTok across its biggest market lays in the balance. Wether Microsoft can take over – or Trump’s wishes to ban the app are put into effect, many content creators are not taking the chance and are looking to move to new platforms. The future is bright for these underdogs – and perhaps content in general will benefit in the end – time will tell.
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