With Lemon8, ByteDance dreams of launching the TikTok of photography. Already available in a few test countries, the social network should soon arrive in the United States, despite the potential banishment of TikTok.
Take the interface of Instagram, give it the shopping aspect of Pinterest, and sublimate it all with the algorithm of TikTok, you will get Lemon8, the new social network of ByteDance.
Unnoticed in France where it is unavailable for download (Lemon8 is currently reserved for Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines), this new social network signed ByteDance has enough to panic the United States, where it is set to launch shortly, alongside the UK. Its concept is simple: replace Instagram with influential accounts, highlighting fashion, travel, and shopping. Lemon8 distinguishes itself from TikTok thanks to images, instead of videos.
ByteDance prepares its plan B
The newspaper says that when Shou Zi Chew, the boss of TikTok, was questioned by Congress, marketing companies commissioned by ByteDance sent emails to influencers to offer them to join Lemon8 in preview. ByteDance has a shocking argument: it pays creators for their publications.
Lemon8’s interface is very similar to Instagram’s. // Source: ByteDance
By mainly targeting influential accounts, ByteDance takes the risk of not appealing to the general public, while TikTok is extremely popular. Even if Lemon8 completely copies Instagram’s interface, with very similar tabs, its primary goal is to make people want to consume. In itself, ByteDance not only invented the TikTok of the photo, but also the Instagram of the pub. Can mayonnaise take? ByteDance has a major argument: its algorithm, which we know is demonic in terms of recommendations.
When Lemon8 is officially in the United States and the United Kingdom, we imagine that ByteDance will prepare its launch elsewhere, such as in Europe. It remains to be seen what will happen to the application if it becomes popular. Can the US Congress consider Lemon8 less dangerous than TikTok, or will it have to launch an investigation into the app in an attempt to ban it too? All the issues raised by the US, such as ByteDance being part of a Chinese group, are the same with Lemon8. Also not sure that Meta, which accuses TikTok of stealing market share from it, appreciates this new service.
TechAint 