Instagram and YouTube are likely the biggest beneficiaries of the US TikTok ban
TikTok and Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. have promised to do everything they can to stop the measure. Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg
According to research firm eMarketer, adult American TikTok users spend an average of 54 minutes on the app, more than on Instagram, Snapchat or YouTube. If TikTok were to disappear, these platforms would compete with younger, smaller emerging rivals for those valuable minutes of people’s attention.
But with an actual ban likely still years away, it’s not clear which app will be the biggest beneficiary. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, could see more advertisers due to uncertainty about its biggest rival, according to analysts who follow the company.
Creators facing uncertainty themselves are also expanding to other platforms, if they weren’t already. But users, especially the younger users who are TikTok’s bread and butter, are less predictable. Will they embrace Instagram, a potentially uncool mom favorite? Or could a newer app like Triller find viral fame?
Here’s a look at some notable TikTok alternatives and how they measure up.
Meta has a long tradition of cloning competing services, with varying degrees of success. The Instagram Story feature, which allows people to share photos and videos that expire within 24 hours, is similar to Snapchat. The company also launched a TikTok knockoff called Lasso in 2018, but closed it in 2020.
Instagram then launched Reels 2020, a TikTok-like feed with short videos that users can create or scroll through. It has proven to be extremely popular. Could it replace TikTok? It depends on. While many creators post on both platforms, some experts say the youngest users are unlikely to migrate to a service made popular by their millennial parents. And while Meta’s algorithm is addictive, it’s still not TikTok.
Replicating TikTok’s algorithm is a nearly impossible task, as rival Meta would attest,” said eMarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg. TikTok’s ability to provide its users with relevant and entertaining content is unparalleled in the social media world.
YOUTUBE
Although TikTok is making more headlines, YouTube still dominates the attention of American teens. About nine in 10 teens said they use YouTube, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey, making it the most used platform among those ages 13 to 17. TikTok recorded 63 percent, Snapchat 60 percent and Instagram 59 percent. Parent company Google launched YouTube Shorts in 2020, shortly after India banned TikTok.
YouTube users can scroll through Shorts just like on TikTok or Reels on Instagram and Facebook and watch hours of bite-sized videos. Similar to Reels, many of the videos featured are from TikTok or from creators posting to various platforms. That said, YouTube is still known for its longer format videos, so it may not have the variety TikTok users are looking for, at least not yet.
SNAPCHAT
Although older adults never quite got to grips with Snapchat, which launched in 2011 with its infamous disappearing videos, it remains popular among teens and younger adults. In addition to the disappearing video feature, the company launched Snapchat Spotlight in 2020 (yes, the same year India banned TikTok and former US President Donald Trump tried to do so in the US).
The feature is accessible by pressing the side triangle at the bottom of your screen and, at least according to Snapchat, it shines a light on the most entertaining Snaps, regardless of who took them.
TRILLER, ZIGAZOO AND OTHERS
If you’re tired of the established audience, newer startups like Triller offer possible alternatives, with TikTok-like features and more (or sometimes less). Triller, which is being acquired by a Hong Kong-based company, is popular for music videos and has tried to lure TikTok creators to its platform, but its user base lags far behind its larger rivals and its content appears to offer less variety. at least for now.
Zigazoo, meanwhile, stands out from the crowd because it is made with children in mind and, according to its creators, shows content suitable for children. The nonprofit Common Sense Media says parents should know that Zigazoo is a TikTok-style video-sharing app for posting short videos of children completing a variety of kid-friendly challenges.
Zigazoo is intended for parental use, and personal information is treated as if it came from parents over the age of 13, Common Sense says. Challenges are simple research or creative projects such as Can you find something that is symmetrical?’ or Can you teach us how to do your favorite sport or physical activity?’
But with a TikTok ban still uncertain, it’s possible that new, better rivals will emerge in the coming months and years as ByteDance works through legal options to keep the app running in the US.
And if not, users might consider those extra 54 minutes a day as a gift, to spend time away from screens, with friends, family, or curled up with a good book.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: April 27, 2024 | 7:08 PM IST