This photograph exhibits the brand and software web page for the social media web site Lemon8, in New York, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Lemon8 is a photo-based app that might be described as a mix of Instagram and Pinterest with sprinkles of movies that resemble these posted on TikTok. Richard Drew, Related Press
Following the warmth that TikTok and its CEO, Shou Chew, confronted in a five-hour grilling by Congress final month, Chinese language firm ByteDance boosted its advertising and marketing for launch of one other app within the U.S. known as Lemon8.
Democrats and Republicans alike left little room for something greater than a “sure” or “no” response from the app’s chief govt after they questioned him on the platform’s connections to China. As Chew was getting grilled, the tech firm got here out with the brand new app.
A message despatched to creators by ByteDance entrepreneurs mentioned, “ByteDance, the dad or mum firm of TikTok, invitations you to develop into a launching creator on their new Lemon8 platform earlier than it formally rolls out in the USA!” The announcement added it makes use of “the identical advice engine that helps TikTok succeed.”
The app’s structure seems like a mix of Pinterest and Instagram, the place persons are inspired to share posts on subjects like well being, trend and journey. Introducing the app to the U.S. initially in February, then rising advertising and marketing in late March made it appear to be the China-based firm was not deterred by Washington and its push to ban TikTok.
Lindsay Gorman, head of expertise and geopolitics on the German Marshall Fund and a former tech adviser for the Biden administration, instructed The New York Instances, “It’s a social media platform like Instagram, it has to do with gathering data on customers and it has the identical possession construction, being a baby of ByteDance, so I feel the identical points are going to come back up.”
Even when the app initially appears innocent, Gorman added, “Finally with social media platforms specifically, they contain content material, and ultimately that’s all the time going to result in political content material and information content material.”
Following the TikTok listening to, Tech Crunch reported that on March 28, Lemon8 was within the high 10 general apps downloaded within the U.S.:
“Previous to yesterday, the Lemon8 app had by no means earlier than ranked within the Prime 200 Total Charts within the U.S. ... The agency confirms that such a quick transfer from being an unranked app to being No. 9 among the many high free apps within the U.S. — forward of YouTube, WhatsApp, Gmail and Fb — implies a “important” and “latest” person acquisition push on the app writer’s half.”
Lemon8 was first launched in Japan in April 2020. Within the final 12 months alone, the Instances reported that the app gained 5 million extra followers after changing into obtainable in additional international locations, together with Singapore, Indonesia and Britain.
Nonetheless far off from TikTok’s 1.05 billion worldwide following, the app’s normal counsel , Erich Andersen, instructed The Related Press, “We’re clearly going to do our greatest with the Lemon8 app to adjust to U.S. regulation and to ensure we do the appropriate factor right here.” He continued, “However I feel we bought a protracted method to go along with that software — it’s just about a startup section.”
Because the Biden administration continues to push a ban on TikTok, Anderson argues that doing so can be giving up. “Banning a platform like TikTok is a defeat, it’s a press release that we aren’t inventive sufficient to search out one other manner,” he mentioned.