Chinese-owned social media app TikTok had cornered the short-form video content market since its inception in 2016, but now a new challenger has arrived and its name is UpScrolled.
Upscrolled is an Australian-built social media app created by Palestinian-Australian developer Isaam Hizaji, designed as a censorship-free alternative to mainstream platforms. It is gaining rapid popularity recently for its transparent, non-algorithmic feed and focus on visibility for voices, especially regarding pro-Palestine content.
According to Forbes, Upscrolled servers crashed recently because so many new users are downloading the app as it capitalises on user discontent with TikTok.
In the U.S., it is becoming the new platform for those who accuse TikTok of censoring anti-Trump videos after spinning off its U.S. operations to a new entity owned by some allies of President Donald Trump.
Is Upscrolled better than TikTok?
Upscrolled works almost exactly like TikTok or Instagram — it’s a social media app with a focus on visuals and short-form videos.
According to its website, the app promises a platform where people could speak freely without “playing algorithm games” or “punished for telling the truth”.
This simply means that users are more free to express themselves and are more in control of the type of content they see on their feed. That itself already sounds like a much better deal to most people. However, there is still an algorithm in place, just not as complex and manipulative as the website claims.
Aside from that, other attractive features Upscrolled promises is true data privacy, feed control that is chronological and user-driven, and targets every day users, creators and activists instead of advertisers.
For now, the app does seem like a much better alternative to TikTok for those who wish to be free of censorship and in control of the content they see, and the content they publish.
Malaysians are already signing up, and hijacking media usernames for some reason
Here in Malaysia, many have already registered an account on UpScrolled while the hype is still there (as we all know, FOMO is real).
After checks, we found that a few Malaysian users had set media names as their own usernames.
For example, a user named Nur Fazura has the username @utusantvofficial, while another named Dewi has @Mstaronline as her username.
For those who have signed up on UpScrolled, you might want to double check the media accounts you follow on the app. Most mainstream Malaysian media have already joined the app but not every account is an official account.
