While TikTok’s fate in the US hangs in the balance, TikTok’s owners, the Chinese-owned ByteDance are making moves to expand their American presence. This has led to the launch of Lemon8, a social media platform that is described as “a place for young creatives to share a diversity of content”.
So, it’s Instagram. And Pinterest. The main difference between the two there are vibes really. People who look forward to Coachella and Spring Break like they’re photoshoot opportunities above all else go to Instagram and people who want to start a commune and live off of the grid and grow veggies go to Pinterest.
So, where will Lemon8 land? Will it have such a well-formed identity? It might soon find itself with one, as app downloads are rising. Lately, the app has gone through a surge in uptakes despite being on the market since 2020. But maybe there’s more to it than a sudden virality.
As TechCrunch notes: “This is a dramatic move for the little-known app and one that points to paid user acquisition efforts powering this surge. Prior to yesterday, the Lemon8 app had never before ranked in the Top 200 Overall Charts in the U.S.”
As Insider reported last month: “ByteDance has been paying creators in the UK to post on the app in recent weeks, three influencers told Insider. One creator who had posted on the app shared documentation showing they were getting paid to post on the platform, while two others shared emails they received from Lemon8 outlining the payment structure.”
Maybe ByteDance is trying to shift its Western audience from one app to the other.
