Unleashing Lemon8: Will it Dominate the Social Media Landscape?

For those of you not familiar with Lemon8, it’s a photo-sharing app owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. It is a hybrid of both Instagram and Pinterest which uses the same algorithm as TikTok. You could say, Lemon8 is a lifestyle app where its users post about specific topics, for example, fashion, beauty, food, wellness, and travel. The overall objective is to build a community online for like minded people.

Is Lemon8 the next big thing to take over the social media world?

New York Times states that Lemon8 had over five million active users globally as of last year, with Apptopia stating that Lemon8 is one of the top 10 most-downloaded apps on the App Store last week. Due to the USA debating to ban TikTok, this app is being promoted, especially for influencers to download following the potential TikTok ban.

This is clearly showing signs of being popular, but Jada Jones from Forbes argues that there aren’t any ‘popular’ influencers on Lemon8 right now. However, micro-influencers with only 900-3,000 followers are migrating to the app.

If Lemon8 currently aren’t recruiting the big player influencers, and they are still currently using other platforms this is either because Lemon8 isn’t attractive to them as a platform to promote themselves, TikTok is still the best place for them to be (which could change if TikTok is banned), or they are more likely to use other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. It’s important to note that Lemon8 does not allow for audible videos, therefore, if influencers use videos to advertise then Lemon8 wouldn’t be a strategic path for an influencer to do that.

How do people view the platform?

According to Christianna Silva from Mashable, many influencers felt intimidated because everything is so aesthetically pleasing, and therefore, felt unworthy to use the platform. On the other hand, influencers also claim that due to users choosing the topics they want to view online, it makes posting content easier and increases engagement because it’s what the user wants to view on the platform.

Users claim that Lemon8 is a fresh start for them, as it’s community driven and feels authentic with a decrease in the amount of negative comments posted on social media. Users are also impressed with the influencers not trying to look ‘perfect’ as the content is still interesting, and the app is overall highly intuitive and easy to use. However, users are worried that their content will eventually be interrupted by adverts as they realise that it is financially effective for organisations to use social media as a platform for marketing and advertising.

What does the future like for Lemon8?

What’s worrying is that the fate of TikTok, an influencer’s bread and butter and source of income, lies in the hands of governments and stakeholders. Therefore, what is the future looking like for platforms like Lemon8 which uses the same algorithm as TikTok, is this just a quick fix for influencers to keep using social media platforms or is this a permanent way for social media to be used going into the future?

On the other hand, Lemon8 could be the platform that users turn to if TikTok does get banned, therefore, there is huge potential for growth and engagement on Lemon8. The only question is, if TikTok isn’t banned, then will Lemon8 just be another platform which may have a spike in users and then a dip – similar to the journey of BeReal and WeAre8?

Personal standpoint

After researching and reviewing Lemon8 I have mixed reviews of the platform. As a user I find the content very targeted as the app asks users to choose the topics they’d like to view and even though the content is from different people, it does get a little tedious. I am also very conscious of Lemon8 trying to build a community; however, it’s built around ‘like-minded’ people and their ‘lifestyles’. Some of the content is just so unrealistic for the ‘average’ person that wants a more active lifestyle. Therefore, for me, it’s almost a battle trying to relate to the content provided, which isolates me from the ‘community’ Lemon8 are trying to build. Furthermore, I am more interested in audio and videos, therefore, the content isn’t as interesting to me as TikTok, and Instagram would be.