The latest app to catch our attention, Lemon8 (developed by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok) takes inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest, enabling users to share videos and photos. While Lemon8 has been available since 2020 and has been somewhat popular in Asian countries, it has now gained huge traction in the US, reaching the top 10 for overall app downloads.
The top trending topics on the app are fashion, beauty, food, wellness and travel. Users can upload their own photos and videos to their profiles, browse a curated “For You” page and be followed by other users. The app emphasizes the ability to shop for the items seen in the content.
Why is it gaining popularity?
Lemon8 benefits from the considerable support of its parent company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok. The platform’s rapid surge in popularity suggests that it’s already tapping into the networks of established TikTok creators to promote itself. And Lemon8 sets itself apart as a shopping-content hybrid; its approach has given the platform an edge, with it being described as if ‘Instagram and Pinterest had a baby’.
As Lemon8 continues to gain popularity in the US and the UK, we are interested to see how it competes with other established social platforms and how the apps features will evolve overtime to keep users engaged. We’ll be sure check it out once the app becomes available to download in the Irish market.