**The UpScrolled Phenomenon: How 2.5 Million Users Turned Up the Volume**
I recently had the chance to chat with Issam Hijazi, the brains behind the new social community UpScrolled, at Net Summit Qatar. Let me tell you, the guy’s got some amazing stories to share!
UpScrolled has been making waves lately, hitting an impressive 2.5 million users in just six months. That’s a seriously rapid growth rate, especially considering the platform was still flying under the radar just a few months ago.
So, what’s behind the frenzy? According to Hijazi, it all started in January when UpScrolled was still a relatively unknown quantity. But when the TikTok saga began making headlines – you know, the whole ByteDance security and ownership drama – UpScrolled saw a massive surge in users. By the time the dust settled, they’d doubled their user base to over a million subscribers worldwide.
When I asked Hijazi what he thought was driving UpScrolled’s crazy growth, he gave credit to the platform’s open-and-honest approach, which lets users share all types of content without censorship or shadowbans. He’s also not afraid to speak his mind on the big players, accusing them of suppressing pro-Palestinian content and selectively censoring users.
It’s no secret that UpScrolled’s gained a reputation as a censorship-free zone, which seems to be a major draw for users looking for a TikTok alternative. But, as with any social media platform, controversy often follows. Some users have raised concerns about explicit content on the site, including porn and nudity. Hijazi’s response? The company’s working on setting up community guidelines to ensure they’re compliant with local laws and is assembling a team of experts to help shape those guidelines.
Despite the controversy, UpScrolled’s still gaining traction, with investors taking notice. (More on that soon!) And it’s not alone in the TikTok-alternative game – Skylight, another AT Protocol-based platform, saw a similar surge in users after the TikTok news broke.
The question is, can these new platforms sustain their growth and build loyal communities, or will they fizzle out like so many other attempts to take down TikTok? Only time will tell.
Want to learn more about UpScrolled’s wild ride? Check out our in-depth article on TechCrunch.
And if you’d like to get the inside scoop on UpScrolled and their meteoric rise to fame, drop a comment below!
