A Look at Lemon8
Have you heard about Lemon8? It is the latest social media app that has broken through in the United States—in a big way. There are some interesting—and some might say ironic—facts about Lemon8, but one current question on many minds is: Will this “new app on the social media block” be a challenge to other already popular platforms, particularly Instagram?
Where did Lemon8 come from?
Lemon8—while not a new app—recently entered Western culture and has taken social media by storm. According to Jada Jones, writing for ZDNet, Lemon8 is currently the “number one” app that users are downloading from the Apple Store. The creator of Lemon8 is ByteDance—the parent company to TikTok. Is the skyrocketing of Lemon8 an interesting coincidence, or an ironic development, considering the current controversy surrounding TikTok and privacy concerns? Whatever the case may be, Lemon8 has made its mark, and will continue to do so.
What sets Lemon8 apart?
As with many social media apps, Lemon8 features photo and video-sharing capabilities. Whereas other platforms cover a wide range of topics for posting and sharing, Lemon8 distinguishes itself by being “lifestyle-focused.” For social media users interested in food, health and wellness, travel and beauty, among other lifestyle-related topics, Lemon8 is a dream come true. Another unique feature to Lemon8 is its capability to allow users to link both TikTok and Instagram accounts in order to broaden their reach on social media. Aside from this novelty, along with the ever-growing downloads from the Apple Store, how popular is this app?
The influence of influencers (and ByteDance)
Ms. Jones cites the praise of influencers who state that if “Instagram and Pinterest had a baby,” it would be Lemon8. So, offering the “best of two social media worlds” seems great, doesn’t it? The New York Times reported, however, that ByteDance paid these influencers to post glowing reviews of this new upstart. Will this discovery hamper Lemon8’s emerging popularity? Or will this new app continue to rise to the point where it will pose a serious challenge to other platforms?
Instagram versus Lemon8
It is believed that Lemon8 is a deliberate move on the part of ByteDance to compete with Instagram. And Instagram, it should be noted, has come under its own share of scrutiny. Noted and promoted for shooting and posting content “in-the-moment,” a number of images and videos in some cases have turned out to be in fact to have been staged. Lemon8, on the other hand, is honest about posting very carefully curated content that is pleasing to the eye. Will this be leverage for ByteDance—by being connected to TikTok—to turn users away from Instagram to Lemon8? Let's not forget of how the popularity of TikTok has been countered by the controversy concerning privacy.
One underlying reality in this latest battle among social media apps is authenticity: Who can you believe? As mentioned, Instagram, while famous and widely used, has staged what was supposed to be candid imagery. And ByteDance, hoping to promote Lemon8 as the next giant among social media apps, has the shadow of doubt due to privacy issues with TikTok looming overhead. (Paying off influencers to praise this new app did not help.)
The EGC Group continues to stay alert to the ongoing trends and changes in social media. If you are seeking to boost your brand’s presence on one or more social platforms, reach out to EGC. Our account, creative and social teams all work in unison to deliver authentic maximum results for promoting brand visibility on one or more popular social media platforms.
Socialize with us and find out how we can help.