Khaberni - Issam Hijazi, founder of the social networking site "UpScrolled," announced that the digital platform has witnessed accelerated growth over the past weeks, exceeding 2.5 million users worldwide, just a few months after its official launch.
Hijazi's statements came during his participation in "Web Summit" in Qatar, where he explained that the platform was launched about six months ago and succeeded in attracting about 150,000 users by the beginning of last January, before experiencing a significant leap in user numbers coinciding with the changes in the ownership of the "TikTok" application in the United States.
Hijazi said: "We were at around 150,000 users until early January, and in the past few days, we surpassed one million users globally, and today we have crossed the 2.5 million user mark."
A new alternative combines "Instagram" and "X"
"UpScrolled" presents itself as a hybrid platform combining features of "Instagram" and "X", with promises of allowing all opinions without blocking or restricting, as the company asserts that it does not rely on shadow banning or content manipulation algorithms.
During his speech, Hijazi strongly criticized major technology companies, accusing them of trading user data and overlooking the negative impacts on mental health for profit.
Controversy around content and moderation policies
In contrast, "UpScrolled" faced criticism from some users due to the proliferation of pornographic and nude content on the platform.
Hijazi responded that the network does not rely on algorithms to amplify or marginalize opinions, but it will work on putting clear community guidelines that consider local laws in various countries.
He mentioned that the company is in the process of forming a team of experts to establish content regulation policies, along with relying on user feedback to improve the experience.
Investment interest without an official announcement
Despite no funding rounds being announced so far, the founder of "UpScrolled" confirmed that the platform has attracted the attention of a number of investors, in light of the rapid growth it has achieved in a short period.
This momentum follows the restructuring of the ownership of "TikTok" in the United States last January, where the majority stake moved to a consortium including "Silver Lake" and "Oracle," with "ByteDance" retaining a 20% stake, prompting a large number of users to search for new alternatives.
Continuity Challenge
Despite the clear benefit from this shift, observers believe that the real challenge in front of "UpScrolled" and other emerging platforms, such as "Skylight," lies in the ability to retain users in the long term, build a stable community, along with making content regulation decisions that may not always be popular, a challenge that alternative platforms like "Bluesky" have faced in recent years.
