17 Worldwide Social Media Platforms That Weren’t Based within the U.S.

Whether or not you’re fascinated by worldwide advertising, or simply wish to study extra about how audiences world wide work together with the web, studying concerning the high world platforms may be an eye-opening expertise.

Beneath, you’ll discover 17 of the most well-liked social media platforms across the globe, together with TikTok’s origin platform — Douyin.

The 17 Greatest International Social Media Platforms

1. QZone and QQ

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• Proprietor: Tencent
• Origin: China (Accessible globally, Chinese language language-only)
• Identify’s Origin: QZone and QQ have been shortened from the unique title, OICQ. The O stood for “open” whereas ICQ is an instantaneous message time period that appears like “I Search You” when stated allowed.
• Reported Customers: Over 600 million lively customers on QZone with 574.4 million month-to-month customers on QQ.

QZone is a social media channel whereas QQ is a messaging app that hyperlinks to a QZone account. The 2 apps function a substitute for Fb in international locations like China and South Korea, the place the U.S. platform is blocked.

The platform’s story started in 1999 when QQ launched as a desktop messaging website. QZone, a social media website and app, launched in 2005.

In 2019, as mobile-first mindsets grew, Tencent reworked the QQ web site right into a standalone app. QZone nonetheless serves as a social media platform whereas QQ is now just like the Fb Messenger app.

That can assist you higher visualize how individuals have used QQ and QZone, right here’s a fast analogy: When U.S. millennials have been youngsters, we raced dwelling from faculty to message our buddies on AIM.

Then, as we reached highschool, we ventured onto Fb, the place we might message individuals, create a profile, and submit updates.

In the meantime, in China, individuals in my age group might need messaged buddies on QQ’s messaging web site as a substitute of AIM. Now, QQ customers would possibly use its sister app — QZone — for a social media expertise that’s corresponding to Fb. Then, to message buddies, they use QQ.

On QZone at present, customers are inspired to publish posts, movies, and even music. Like Fb, they will additionally join with buddies, see a feed of updates, remark, share or react to posts, and replace cowl or profile pictures.

The QQ and QZone are nice examples of social manufacturers that gained traction lengthy earlier than platforms owned by U.S. tech companies. QQ and QZone customers are so robust in China probably as a result of younger audiences adopted its messaging software and have been capable of take pleasure in its full social community afterward.

Though Fb launched 2004, one 12 months earlier than QZone got here out, Tencent had already captured the millennial demographic with QQ, found out tips on how to develop its product competitively with QZone, and continued so as to add options to tug in Gen Z audiences.

Whereas QZone and QQ seem to be Fb options, their historical past of progress is pretty parallel. And, as one of many greatest social media platforms globally, QQ is price understanding about should you plan to market in Asian territories with heavy censorship.

2. WeChat/Weixin

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WeChat launched in 2011, earlier than opponents like Kik and WhatsApp. The messaging app was rolled out by Tencent, which additionally created QZone and QQ.

Equally to WhatsApp, WeChat permits free, text-based chats and voice calls. It additionally has a “Moments” function just like Instagram or Fb Tales. Like many U.S. platforms, you’ll be able to place enjoyable animated stickers on photos or movies despatched inside the app.

To affix WeChat, customers have to know somebody on the platform and have them scan an activation code {that a} consumer receives when logging in for the primary time. Then, they will entry WeChat’s messaging function, ship movies to buddies, and host digital cellphone calls.

Except for utilizing the platform for friend-to-friend communication, customers may benefit from extra entertaining options.

For instance, whereas one function permits individuals to play in-app video games stay in opposition to buddies, others embrace filters that can be utilized in chats or video calls.

WeChat additionally connects to quite a lot of third-party or Tencent-owned apps so {that a} consumer can tackle a number of duties. You may hail a experience or pay buddies cash, straight from WeChat.

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At this level, Fb, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and different main apps are utilizing an identical technique, pulling extra options into their platforms to maintain customers logged in longer.

For instance, many high messengers enable group video calls, provide in-app video games, or let customers ship cash.

3. Weibo (Sina Weibo)

Weibo, additionally known as Sina Weibo, is the most important Chinese language microblogging and social media platform. The social channel made information in 2017 when it reached extra month-to-month lively customers than Twitter.

Since then the app’s continued to develop. Reviews recommend that greater than 30% of Chinese language web customers now have an account on the platform.

If you go to the web site, it’s routinely in Chinese language. Nevertheless, you should use Google Chrome’s translator to transform the textual content to completely different languages.

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Like Twitter, Weibo provides a central feed the place you’ll be able to see the newest or highest-performing posts. To toggle by several types of posts, you’ll be able to click on a class on the listing within the left sidebar.

On the fitting, you’ll be able to see “Scorching Matters” just like Twitter’s “Trending Matters.” When you proceed to scroll down, you’ll additionally see a field that means that you can seek for individuals.

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Whereas Weibo’s format and microblogging mission are just like Twitter’s, the Chinese language platform emphasizes movies, pictures, and trending content material, whereas Twitter nonetheless places an emphasis on the accounts sharing the content material.

Though Twitter additionally prioritizes trending content material, you’ll be able to simply see which of your followers posted, appreciated, or retweeted it earlier than seeing the content material in a tweet.

This enables audiences to subconsciously give attention to the one who tweeted one thing in addition to the tweet itself.

These barely completely different layouts may additionally recommend that the audiences of every platform favor to devour content material in another way. Whereas Twitter’s viewers would possibly favor the human connection, these on Weibo would possibly wish to bounce straight to the content material.

4. Douyin

• Proprietor: ByteDance
• Origin Nation: China (Accessible solely in China; TikTok is offered globally)
• Identify’s Origin: Douyin loosely interprets to “shaking sound” or “vibrato.”
• Reported Variety of Customers: 613 million lively customers

Douyin is the Chinese language-only counterpart to TikTok, which is owned by the identical firm. TikTok particularly is a merger of Douyin and the Musical.ly lip-syncing app. Each social media apps specialise in permitting customers to create, edit, and share short-form vertical video.

After Douyin launched in early 2018, it grew to 150 million lively customers in 12 months one. ByteDance then bought an identical lip-syncing app known as Musical.ly and created TikTok, a world app that merged the perfect options from every platform.

Since launching in late 2018, TikTok’s additionally seen viral progress by gaining roughly 1.2 billion lively customers. Like Douyin, TikTok additionally sees a lot of worldwide influencers from international locations like India.

Whereas Douyin and TikTok are very comparable short-video apps and are sometimes confused as the identical factor, they’ve a barely completely different units of options, are powered by completely different servers, and have completely different ranges of censorship attributable to rules world wide.

Douyin isn’t accessible for us to preview within the U.S., however information retailers describe it as being much more superior than TikTok — significantly in the case of ecommerce.

For instance, whereas TikTok rolled out promoting choices in 2020, Douyin already allowed customers to triple-tap a video with a product featured in it to go to a model’s ecommerce retailer. Customers may use the app for digital excursions of motels, shops, or journey places.

Douyin additionally reportedly permits customers to geotag themselves at a retailer or location. This might be useful for offering model consciousness to native manufacturers.

With regards to what Douyin and TikTok have in widespread, each are apps the place customers can share quick movies that may function musical overlays, enjoyable filters, and textual content.

From pictures I’ve dug up on-line, it seems to be just like the platform’s design could be very comparable with some slight design variations. The screenshots under present a video advert and the platform’s search function:

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As a comparability, right here’s what a video advert and the search function appear like on TikTok.

Each apps are additionally centered round a feed that algorithmically exhibits customers movies from followers or movies that they could take pleasure in primarily based on earlier content material they’ve seen.

When customers enter the app and see the feed, one video will start taking part in routinely. To see different movies, customers merely swipe up on that feed. Right here’s what this seems to be like on TikTok:

Except for the shared options, each fast-paced social media channels are favored by youthful generations. Whereas over 92.39% of TikTok’s viewers is youthful than 34, it’s additionally been reported that Gen Z has flocked to Douyin.

Douyin and TikTok’s success story is a good instance of how one distinctive worldwide platform can change the way in which we devour content material in different international locations. Previous to TikTok’s launch within the Western hemisphere, many Individuals hadn’t seen something just like it since Vine.

Not solely did Douyin and TikTok substitute the necessity for Vine, however each apps additionally catered to Gen-Z and millennials, two mobile-first generations identified for brief on-line consideration spans and heavy consumption of video content material.

5. Kuaishou

Kuaishou is a short-video app that competes with Douyin. This platform began as a GIF-sharing website known as Kuaishou GIF. It was like GIPHY within the sense that anybody might create, submit, and share GIFs on the community.

In 2012, Kuaishou dropped GIF from its title and pivoted to a brief video platform. Its interface is now similar to Instagram’s.

Kuaishou would not have a “Tales” function like Instagram, nevertheless it options equally trying profiles and feeds the place customers share quick vertical movies moderately than pictures or different content material.

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Like Douyin or TikTok, the video options of Kuaishou appear pretty comparable in that customers can leverage sound bites and primary enhancing instruments of their content material.

Like many social media platforms with movies, Kuaishou additionally permits customers to overlay textual content and stickers on photos or movies.

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From taking a look at a wide range of movies which have been uploaded to different websites from this platform, it looks as if many customers have used this app to spotlight their distinctive expertise and musical expertise.

Quite a lot of customers have additionally shared movies that spotlight and have a good time facets of rural China.

In 2019, Apple distinguished Kuaishou as a world app that was defining cell video storytelling traits. This got here shortly after the app notably added ecommerce and monetization options that enabled creators in poverty-stricken rural China to earn cash from it.

Except for its quick movies, Kuaishou additionally permits customers to stay stream content material on the platform. Much like the quick video function, the stream has allowed customers to movie longer movies that spotlight their expertise.

6. VKontakte (VK)

• Proprietor: Mail.Ru Group
• Nation of Origin: Russia
• Identify’s English Translation: VKontakte loosely interprets to “involved with.”
• Reported Variety of Customers: 67 million customers

VK, the most important social channel in Russia, is sort of a combine between Fb, YouTube, and the 90s unlawful downloading service LimeWire. This platform permits customers to publish and share text-based posts, pictures, video information, and music information with their connections.

With regards to this platform’s consumer interface, it seems to be eerily just like Fb, with some slight tweaks to web page layouts.

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Except for permitting customers to share their very own content material, they will allegedly add and stream copyrighted materials, corresponding to music and flicks. This has allegedly been plentiful on the platform since its launch, however authorized steps haven’t been taken in opposition to it.

The social platform is owned by Mail.Ru Group, a tech firm that owns Russia’s foremost serps and OK.RU, a social platform famous under. Reviews additionally recommend that this firm has affiliations with the Russian authorities.

Surprisingly, the vast majority of VK customers are between the ages of 25 and 34.

This reputation might be attributable to a number of causes, together with the platform’s capability to permit customers to share audio and video information between buddies. The platform additionally encourages customers to develop their social circles and never restrict themselves to those they’re already in.

7. Odnoklassniki (OK.RU)

• Proprietor: Mail.Ru Group
• Nation of Origin: Russia
• Identify’s English Translation: Odnoklassniki interprets to “classmate.”
• Reported Variety of Customers: 33.8 month-to-month lively customers

Odnoklassniki, or OK.RU, is a web site that makes a speciality of connecting individuals with their previous classmates. The social media platform is about up like a weblog, just like Tumblr, the place customers can share life updates, photos, or movies, which then present up in different customers’ dwelling web page feeds.

Together with their classmates’ content material, a sidebar exhibits customers the most well-liked movies which have been posted on the platform.

Beneath is a have a look at the feed. Whereas the positioning is in Russian, I’ve used Google Chrome to translate it so you may get a greater thought of what persons are posting.

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Like Tumblr, customers may click on on the title or picture of one other consumer in a submit to search out that individual’s profile.

These profiles are just like Fb’s format in that they present a canopy picture, a consumer’s high followers (known as “individuals”), after which a feed of their very own content material.

Whereas this platform is just like each Tumblr and Fb, Russian residents don’t generally use these two platforms as a lot as OK.RU.

Moreover, with warnings that Fb, YouTube, and Instagram might be banned in Russia, it’s not stunning that tech firms on this area have innovated to create comparable different platforms.

As we’ve seen with the Chinese language platforms above, many world platforms have been impressed by or created as a substitute for U.S.-based websites that have been censored or banned.

These continent-specific platforms might be a theme we proceed seeing in several areas of the world.

When you’re a global marketer, it may be useful to determine segments of your viewers that may not be capable to entry the platforms you employ for social media advertising. Then, analysis any options you can entry to advertise your content material in these places.

8. Telegram

• Proprietor: Telegram Group Inc.
• Origin: UAE
• Identify’s Origin: Named after the telegram system, coined by Charles Wheatstone in 1834.
• Reported Customers: 700 million month-to-month lively customers

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging platform based in 2013 by Nikolai and Pavel Durov, who additionally beforehand based VK. Identified for its end-to-end encryption and give attention to privateness, Telegram tends to develop in reputation each time one other app experiences a safety breach.

The app was launched as a substitute for WhatsApp when the latter introduced it will share consumer data with its dad or mum firm, Meta. Because it serves as a safe different to WhatsApp, Telegram’s interface seems to be fairly just like the one we’re used to.

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At first look, you may not be capable to inform the distinction between WhatsApp and Telegram as a result of they appear very comparable of their primary textual content messaging capabilities.

However Telegram takes WhatsApp’s options up a notch with chat folders that make it easier to manage conversations, open API that means that you can construct your individual Telegram purchasers, and no sim sign-up to guard your cellphone quantity from public view.

Open API additionally allows you to create Telegram Bots that automate duties and reply to consumer messages.

What’s additionally attention-grabbing about Telegram is its “Secret Chat” function which permits customers to ship messages set to self-destruct after a sure interval and go away no hint on its servers.

The app additionally means that you can create chat channels with as much as 200,000 members, in comparison with WhatsApp’s present 1,024, and allows you to ship media with no limits on measurement or sort.

Beforehand fully free, Telegram launched its Premium tier in 2022. Options corresponding to voice-to-text, doubled limits on channels, chat folders, chats, distinctive stickers and reactions can be found so that you can discover on Telegram Premium.

Telegram at the moment has 70 million lively customers in India, 24 million in Russia, 19 million in Indonesia, and 18 million in Brazil. The app additionally permits sponsored advertisements in some areas, so it’s price exploring should you’re fascinated by increasing your presence in these international locations.

9. LIKEE

• Proprietor: JOYY Inc.
• Origin: China
• Identify’s Origin: Beforehand named Like, the founders modified the title in 2019 and added an additional “e” to convey the extra worth it supplied after it was redesigned and rebranded.
• Reported Customers: 150 million month-to-month lively customers

TikTok’s rise to fame could have been meteoric, nevertheless it’s not the one video-sharing social media platform on the block. Singapore-based Bigo Applied sciences (owned by JOYY Inc.) launched LIKEE in 2017 as a competitor to TikTok.

LIKEE is a brief video-sharing platform that’s gained enormous traction since its launch. It focuses on content material from younger customers and celebrities who use the hashtag problem function to create viral movies for the app.

Like TikTok, the app options an AI-powered algorithm that recommends content material related to every consumer’s pursuits. LIKEE additionally has filters, particular results, and instruments to assist customers create content material.

In 2018, LIKEE was one in every of 59 Chinese language apps banned in India because of the rising tensions between the 2 international locations. Earlier than this, India was the greatest marketplace for LIKEE, the place it was accessible in 15 Indian languages, together with Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and Telugu.

LIKEE appears fairly just like TikTok on the floor, however what units it aside is its creator monetization instruments.

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The LIKEE Official Creator program, for instance, provides creators entry to completely different advantages, corresponding to invitations to unique occasions and promotions on the LIKEE in style web page primarily based on their “crown” stage.

The app additionally focuses on stay streaming. LIKEE creates a extra immersive stay streaming expertise by permitting creators to create personalised 3D avatars of themselves and permitting them to create and be part of on-line communities.

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Whereas TikTok remains to be main the cost as the most well-liked short-video-sharing platform, LIKEE is slowly gaining floor and could be the subsequent massive factor.

10. LINE

If there’s a powerhouse app that appears to be doing all the things, it’s LINE.

The South Korean messaging app was launched as a response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami to assist customers talk with one another regardless of community outages.

It shortly gained traction, changing into one of many greatest messaging instruments in Asia.

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The messaging software integrates with a set of companies starting from funds with LINE Pay, telemedicine with LINE Physician, and music streaming with LINE Music.

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The app’s stickers are their very own cultural phenomenon. They’re so in style you can really purchase real-life merchandise of them on the LINE Mates Retailer.

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The Creators Market additionally supplies customers with a platform to monetize their sticker creations and promote them on the LINE Sticker Store, LINE Theme Store, and LINE STORE.

LINE’s major web site is in English. A lot of its subsidiary web sites, together with LINE for Enterprise and LINE Information, are in Japanese.

LINE’s integration with different facets of its ecosystem is a good way for companies to succeed in new audiences and construct loyalty with present ones.

It additionally eliminates the necessity for customers to modify between an array of apps, making a streamlined expertise and lowering distractions.

11. Douban

• Proprietor: Beijing Douwang Know-how Co., Ltd.
• Origin: China
• Identify’s Origin: Named after a hutong, or slim lane, in Beijing. The literal translation of Douban is “an embryonic leaf.”
• Reported Customers: 300 million customers

Douban is a well-liked social networking platform originating in China. It was created by Yang Bo in 2005 and has since grown to be one of many largest on-line social networks within the nation.

The platform permits customers to speak, share their pursuits, and charge movies, books, music, and different content material. On Douban, customers can comply with one another, create a profile, submit and touch upon dialogue boards, uncover new content material, and get suggestions.

Douban is offered in Chinese language, however right here’s a translated preview of its homepage.

Dubbed the “Chinese language model of IMDb” attributable to its give attention to motion pictures and movie critiques, Douban can also be identified for being one of many few Chinese language social networks that enables political discussions, though censorship remains to be enforced.

The platform hosts many occasions and actions, corresponding to meetups, lectures, movie screenings, and festivals. It additionally has a web-based radio station known as Radio Douban which permits customers to tune in and take heed to music from completely different sources.

Douban boasts a energetic on-line neighborhood for younger and educated Chinese language customers engaged in literary and movie discussions. It’s additionally confirmed in style amongst younger individuals because it permits them to specific their views, keep linked, and uncover new content material.

In 2022, the app tightened its insurance policies and now requires abroad customers to register with a mainland cell phone quantity or official identification doc to proceed utilizing the platform. In brief, anybody who needs to make use of Douban should show their identification.

Beijing’s rising censorship could also be tough to navigate for manufacturers making an attempt to faucet into this educated and prosperous demographic, but it’s nonetheless doable to have success on Douban if executed proper.

12. Baidu Tieba

• Proprietor: Baidu
• Origin: China
• Identify’s Origin: Baidu Tieba — the phrase Tieba is solely the pronunciation of the Chinese language phrase “贴吧”, a made-up phrase that interprets to “Let’s Put up.” The phrase Tieba has its which means prolonged to the phrase “discussion board” or “group” as properly.
• Reported Customers: 45 million month-to-month lively customers

Tieba is without doubt one of the largest Chinese language dialogue discussion board networks. The dad or mum firm, Baidu, additionally owns one of many greatest serps on this planet, with 3.3 billion searches per day. Established in 2003, Tieba is a forum-style interactive neighborhood the place customers can share content material and focus on subjects of widespread curiosity.

Tieba provides a variety of options for customers, corresponding to customizable avatars, particular results, and instruments that can assist you customise your posts. There are additionally an in depth array of filters that will let you seek for posts by key phrases or tags.

Each Tieba, or particular person neighborhood, has its major coordinator, normally known as the “administrator” or the “moderator” in English. This coordinator is accountable for maintaining the discussion board protected and orderly.

Tieba’s user-generated, content-driven nature makes it a perfect platform for companies to have interaction with their clients, construct relationships, and discover out what their clients assume.

The platform makes use of two facets — expertise factors and account stage — to evaluate the standard of its customers. The extra you interact on the platform and work together with different customers, the upper the account stage and the extra expertise factors you’ll acquire.

Baidu Tieba had accrued over 300 million month-to-month lively customers, and its registered customers skyrocketed to 1.5 billion by 2015.

By 2021, nonetheless, the Reddit-style platform misplaced 90% of its customers attributable to points corresponding to lack of administration and extreme commercialization. With 45 million lively customers, it nonetheless has appreciable potential to determine itself as a significant participant available in the market.

The web site is in Chinese language, and also you’ll have to make use of Google’s translate function to entry its content material.

The central feed shows scorching subjects and discussions. Customers can scroll by these subjects to search out related data, take part on present conversations, or create new ones.

The feed additionally shows information on the high, which you’ll be able to click on on to remain up to date with latest occasions.

13. BeReal

• Proprietor: Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau
• Origin: France
• Identify’s Origin: The title pertains to its give attention to customers importing unpolished pictures.
• Reported Customers: 73.5 million month-to-month lively customers

BeReal, a French anti-influencer social media app launched in 2020, solely permits customers to submit footage and movies which can be unedited and unfiltered to advertise “authenticity.” The app discourages customers from curating a model of themselves that’s not possible to realize.

BeReal notifies customers to take an image in two minutes utilizing their back and front cameras concurrently with a location and optionally available caption.

Whereas different customers can’t like or dislike a submit, they will remark. It’s also possible to react to posts with a “RealMoji,” which is an image of your individual face.

The app is hottest within the U.S., adopted by France and the U.Ok. BeReal’s month-to-month lively customers elevated by greater than 300% in 2022.

Gen Z, at the moment the biggest technology on Earth, appears to have a liking for BeReal’s extra sensible strategy.

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In a latest article, Meredith Mueller, a sophomore on the College of Kansas, highlights how, in contrast to Instagram or Snapchat, BeReal provides a pressure-free expertise.

“Snapchat is extra such as you’re sending this to at least one individual, should you submit in your story, you’re making an attempt to look good,” she stated. “Whereas that is like … wherever you’re at, no matter you’re doing, you cease within the second and all your pals can see it. It’s extra like a down-to-earth app. I might say it’s like a judgment-free zone.”

BeReal at the moment doesn’t provide any promoting or monetization alternatives for manufacturers. Manufacturers like e.l.f. Cosmetics and Chipotle launched model accounts final 12 months and constructed followings with low cost codes.

Nonetheless, with the app’s spontaneous nature and BeReal’s dedication to take care of its philosophy of authenticity, it will be attention-grabbing to see how manufacturers undertake it.

What’s clear is that Gen Z loves this authenticity, and types have to be revolutionary to create a presence on the platform.

14. Moj

• Proprietor: Mohalla Tech
• Origin: India
• Identify’s Origin: The title is a spin on the Hindi phrase “mauj,” which implies leisure.
• Reported Customers: 120 million month-to-month lively customers

Thirty hours after India banned 59 Chinese language apps attributable to ongoing tensions with China on June 29, 2020, the Indian social media platform ShareChat launched Moj.

The app was designed to copy TikTok, thus providing an identical consumer expertise with options, corresponding to 15-second movies and particular results. Inside three days of its launch, Moj amassed 50,000 downloads.

India, the nation with the largest inhabitants on this planet, has 22 official languages. Moj helps over 15 languages, together with English, Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Like TikTok, customers can lip sync, create digital artwork, and use AI-powered results. The app additionally options interest-based content material suggestions and stay streaming.

Since Moj is a TikTok reproduction, its interface seems to be virtually the identical as TikTok. It has a house web page, which shows trending and up to date movies, and in addition permits customers to browse content material in several classes.

Customers can browse the app with out having to register. To begin creating and sharing content material, nonetheless, they need to enroll with their cellphone quantity or Fb account.

“Moj for Creators,” a program launched in April 2022, goals to assist creators earn Rs 3,500 crore by 2025 with new monetizable options.

These options embrace performance-based weekly rewards, model collaborations, creator programs, an unique creator membership, and a devoted creator supervisor to assist creators develop.

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Except for this, Moj Stay additionally permits customers to earn cash and rewards by stay streaming their content material. Creators can interact with their viewers in real-time and ship digital presents.

Regardless of its efforts, Indian creators assume native options like Moj come nowhere near the extent of recognition that TikTok supplied.

Nonetheless, Moj has gained immense reputation in India and provides world companies a gateway to a various and fast-growing market.

15. Xiaohongshu

• Proprietor: Xingyin Info Know-how
• Origin: China
• Identify’s Origin: Xiaohongshu interprets to “Little Pink E-book.”
• Reported Customers: 158 million month-to-month lively customers

The Chinese language reply to Instagram, Xiaohongshu (also called Little Pink E-book or RED) is a content-driven, ecommerce platform that connects native and worldwide Chinese language shoppers to manufacturers.

Xiaohongshu was created by Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao in 2013 and has since develop into a pacesetter within the user-generated content material (UGC) house.

When it first launched, WeChat and Weibo dominated the Chinese language social media panorama. Xiaohongshu tapped into the younger Chinese language city ladies’s market by offering a platform for them to learn product critiques, share consumer experiences, and uncover new merchandise.

The app at the moment focuses on magnificence, trend, life-style, and journey. At present, 70% of its consumer base are ladies.

RED’s give attention to merchandise and procuring makes it in style among the many Chinese language elite. Chinese language customers will make up 40% of all luxurious shoppers by 2030. The app faucets into the shopping for energy of prosperous Chinese language millennials and supplies worthwhile insights into their procuring habits.

Xiaohongshu’s foremost feed has three tabs: Observe, Discover, and Close by. Although the app is just like Instagram, its “Close by” function is exclusive and permits customers to find new locations, merchandise, and traits round their location.

The app’s submit software additionally provides extra enhancing options than Instagram, together with beautify.

The Discover tab consists of classes corresponding to weight reduction, manicures, cosmetics, mother-baby, and emotion, exhibiting how RED makes use of historically female-focused subjects to create participating content material.

Xiaohongshu permits manufacturers to have their storefronts on the app, which customers can entry to search out out extra concerning the model and buy their merchandise.

RED’s give attention to a distinct segment feminine demographic, ecommerce capabilities, and distinctive content material make it a worthwhile platform for manufacturers trying to attain the Chinese language market.

Manufacturers can associate with native influencers to unfold consciousness, promote merchandise, and have interaction with the viewers.

16. Yubo

• Proprietor: TWELVE APP
• Origin: France
• Identify’s Origin: The app was beforehand named Yellow and it has since rebranded to Yubo.
• Reported Customers: 60 million customers

One other French social media app that’s rising in reputation amongst Gen Z is Yubo. Launched in 2015 by Sacha Lazimi, Jérémie Aouate, and Arthur Patora, the app goals to create an area for younger individuals to satisfy new buddies and discover their neighborhood.

Yubo, previously often known as Yellow, was created with an emphasis on security, openness, and inclusiveness. The app is aimed toward youngsters and encourages customers to create teams, share pictures and movies, chat with buddies, play video games, and even stay stream.

For a while, Yubo was often known as the “Tinder for Teenagers” attributable to its swipe-based interface. Customers can select who they wish to join with primarily based on their pursuits and profiles.

The platform makes an attempt to maintain its youthful and older customers separate with two disconnected communities — one for younger individuals aged 13 to 17 and an grownup neighborhood for individuals aged 18 and above.

Separate communities forestall customers in a single neighborhood from interacting with customers within the different neighborhood.

Prior to now, Yubo confronted backlash attributable to its safety points, together with the power of adults to create and use faux accounts.

Nevertheless, Yubo has since carried out measures corresponding to partnering with digital identification supplier Yoti to assist vet suspicious customers and handle ID verification. In 2022, Yubo additionally rolled out age “estimating” expertise to higher determine minors.

Customers can use the in-app forex, YuBucks, to make purchases, corresponding to including an additional variety of new buddies or boosting their profile to get extra visibility. Yubo additionally options advertisements, which customers can choose to skip or watch in alternate for YuBucks.

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Yubo has a partnership with Snapchat revolving across the Snapchat Digital camera Package, which permits the platform and its creators to make use of Snapchat’s filter system and options. Yubo additionally creates recreation filters you’ll be able to play with, like on Snapchat.

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17. Rakuten Viber

Viber is a free messaging and calling app created in 2010 by two Israeli brothers, Talmon Marco and Igor Megzinik.

Viber shortly gained reputation attributable to its intuitive interface, seamless syncing throughout gadgets, encryption, HD audio and video calls, and an in depth array of stickers.

In 2014, Rakuten, the world’s third-largest ecommerce firm acquired Viber for $900 million.

Since then, the app has made vital enhancements, corresponding to introducing video and voice messaging, funds, video games, and even its personal forex known as “Vibes.”

The platform has customers in 190 international locations, and its registered customers have surpassed 260 million month-to-month lively customers. Right here’s a preview of Viber’s feed.

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As you’ll be able to see, you even have a “My Notes” tab that means that you can write notes and memos.

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Viber additionally has an in depth array of options that make it nice for enterprise use. It supplies collaboration instruments corresponding to polls, surveys, and doc sharing, amongst others.

Viber Enterprise provides a variety of instruments to assist firms attain their clients, corresponding to permitting transactions, providing real-time buyer help, and sending related messages and promotions.

In January 2023, Viber launched a Enterprise Inbox, which lets you manage and filter messages from industrial companies corresponding to supply companies, shops, and banks.

The app’s mobile-focused options, corresponding to a fast registration course of, simple contact updates, one-tap calling, and built-in mission companies, make it a superb possibility for companies trying to interact with clients on the go.

The Similarities of International Social Platforms

Regardless of their important variations, social media industries world wide have some fascinating similarities to that of the U.S.

For instance, whereas a lot of North America’s most outstanding social media apps are owned by Fb or have been created in Silicon Valley, most outstanding world platforms have been created by Tencent or different main tech companies primarily based in China. Equally, the 2 greatest Russian platforms are owned by the identical firm.

Though lots of the apps above have been created and launched in extremely censored areas, they don’t appear to be falling behind on innovation attributable to these rules.

As a result of worldwide social platforms have developed on an identical timeline as many widespread U.S. platforms, it looks as if these geographies are constructing their very own parallel social media industries, moderately than simply racing to create options to our personal platforms.

One factor main distinction is that lots of the examples on this listing emphasize direct communication greater than content material.

In the meantime, our personal platforms emphasize content material and consumer expertise. Whereas each social media platform we use at present does have messenger with numerous options, just a few of them are or have been ever standalone messengers.

For instance, QZone and WeChat constructed their preliminary audiences as messenger apps and broadened their options from there. In the meantime, Snapchat and WhatsApp are the one high platforms that began as direct messengers.

Whereas Fb Messenger is without doubt one of the most outstanding textual content messaging platforms, it’s an growth of Fb’s unique Information Feed-centered platform.

Going International

When you’re fascinated by reaching worldwide audiences, you need to take note of the social media platforms they mostly use, and what they use them for.

This will provide you with perception on what kinds of content material these teams interact with, what motivates them, and what methods might persuade shopping for selections.

If you wish to faucet into a global viewers, however can’t entry among the platforms on this listing, you’ll be able to alternatively think about testing out a marketing campaign on a globally accessible platform like WhatsApp and WeChat.