As The Clock Ticks On TikTok, Rivals Like Clapper Try To Make A Mark
21.05.2024 - 21:13
/ deadline.com
As TikTok fights a new law requiring a divestiture from its Chinese owner, smaller rivals may be reaping some of the benefits.
One is Clapper, the short-video app launched in 2020, which saw a fourfold increase in downloads as Congress moved to pass the TikTok legislation and four two weeks afterward, according to its founder, Edison Chen. Clapper has been averaging about 200,000 new weekly downloads.
President Joe Biden signed national security legislation on April 24 that requires that TikTok’s owner, China’s ByteDance, to divest its social media platform within a year or face a ban on app stores in the United States. TikTok, meanwhile, has filed suit to stop the new law, citing the First Amendment.
Clapper averages about 300,000 daily active users and 2 million monthly active users, a fraction of the audience for TikTok.
While Chen doesn’t see Clapper as a direct competitor, the company has made a pitch to users and creators amid the tumult in the short-form video. Among other things, the company noted that its main office is just outside of Dallas, and that they “store our user data in a US-based Cloud system.” User data “stays in our system, on lockdown: we never sell or share our creators’ information or share it with a third party.” Lawmakers had cited fears that the Beijing government could access user data as a rationale for passing the TikTok restrictions.
Clapper also distinguishes itself by appealing to an older audience — Gen X and Gen Y. The app, which has no ads, requires users to be 17 and older. It also includes livestreams and chat, among other features.
“TikTok is targeting more of the younger generation, especially below 25. I saw there’s a possibility of a more mature” user base, Chen said. “They