If the U.S. version of TikTok is going to become undesirable, where will Americans go for their short-form video fix? That question has been on a lot of minds during the unpredictable early days of the new geolocked app, and UpScrolled has emerged as the most common answer.
CEO Issam Hijazi only launched UpScrolled last July, but the ongoing TikTok chaos has given him the opening he needs to promote his social video platform. As TikTok users question whether the divested version of the app is censoring viewpoints, UpScrolled’s download numbers are skyrocketing.
The app hit #1 on the U.S. download charts while taking its user base above one million. Only a few weeks prior, UpScrolled had been sitting at about 40,000 users. The sudden increase in activity has been big enough to temporarily take down UpScrolled’s servers, though the app has pledged to provide more uptime in coming days.
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UpScrolled’s stance on censorship may be its most valuable position
Hijazi’s personal politics are no secret. The Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian entrepreneur is affiliated with the Free Palestine Movement, and he developed his app out of the Tech For Palestine incubator program.
UpScrolled’s censorship-free, chronologically-ordered feed is one of its hallmarks, and the app’s permissive nature relates to its founder’s story. Hijazi told Rest of World that he lost family members during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, and he wanted to create an app where users could share newsworthy posts without fear of censorship and retribution.
“I found this gap in the market, with a lot of people asking why there is no alternative to the Big Tech platforms for their content, which was getting censored,” Hijazi said. “So I thought, why don’t we build our own? I just rolled up my sleeves, and built it.”
Statements from U.S. officials support the idea that the government is wary of pro-Palestinian viewpoints on TikTok. That belief, according to Senator Mark Warner, played a big role in the development of the U.S.-only version of the app. On UpScrolled, users don’t have to worry about that form of moderation, and they likely never will.
Can UpScrolled capitalize on its momentum?
Every time a major social media platform becomes embroiled in a controversy related to the U.S. government, alternative apps scramble to appeal to disaffected users. The last time it looked as if TikTok’s days might be numbered, Chinese-based platform Xiaohongshu (known internationally as RedNote) became a hot download. Elon Musk’s mercurial rule over X ended up being a boon for Mastodon, and eventually Bluesky.
Though Mastodon was arguably the first X alternative most Americans turned too, Bluesky ended up winning more users thanks to its more intuitive design. If TikTok’s troubles in the U.S. are prolonged, it’s worth asking if UpScrolled is more of a Mastodon or a Bluesky. Is it merely the first TikTok alternative to seize the opportunity, or does it have a solid long-term prognosis?
Hijazi acknowledged that his ideological approach might make it hard to keep up in a competitive industry. When asked to divulge his “plan for success” to Rest of World, Hijazi gave an honest reply. “I’ll be lying to you if I tell you I know the answer,” he said. “But one thing that we’ve learned is that people want to feel seen, and feel like they are not the product for big corporations. We’re not here to keep you addicted to scrolling. We are a platform where we want to connect people.”
Perhaps all of this TikTok drama will blow over soon, and the average American will forget about UpScrolled. Or maybe Hijazi’s app really has legs. There’s always the chance that users will consider the nuclear option: getting rid of their short-form social video apps entirely. Major tech platforms already encourage users to take breaks; maybe we could all use a reprieve from all that scrolling.
