TikTok, launched in September 2016, has taken the world by storm. The app since its initial release has amassed a global user base of 1.925 billion, with 170 million active monthly users, and 1 billion views across the platform daily. To say that TikTok has done well would be an understatement.
But despite its immense success, there are many who feel that the app is flying too close to the sun, and is due to get burned. Many content creators are now worried for their career's future, and are looking for other ways to diversify their income in case a complete falling out does occur.
Neptune: What is it?
Neptune is a social media platform that was created to be an alternative to TikTok. It is currently in beta, and at the time of writing this article, it is set to launch on the App Store next week, with the Google Play Store to receive availability in the next six months.
Neptune was designed to be a social media platform that returns to the root of what used to make the medium great. In a digital world where algorithms dictate everything that their users see, Neptune seeks to eliminate that barrier by implementing a customizable algorithm that puts the power in the users' hands.
Another major feature of the app that flies in the face of current social media lingo is the use of what Neptune's team is calling "ghost metrics". This optional feature allows users to hide their follower and like counts. This was implemented in the effort to put the focus back on the art rather than the "clout" that infests much of the current social media platforms. This, in turn, will potentially eliminate bias toward the bigger names on the platform, giving everyone a chance to share content and be recognized.
Most social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, X, and even Facebook, make it hard for lesser-known creators to get their name out there due to the fixation on likes and follower counts. Neptune's ghost metric feature will (hopefully) be able to potentially level the playing field for fledgling content creators and help them find their voice with users.
Is Neptune a viable alternative to TikTok and other social media platforms?
The landscape of the social media world has changed dramatically since its inception. We have come a long way since the days of MySpace, SixDegrees, (bet you never heard of that one, huh? Same here.) and even old-school Facebook. Organic reach has unfortunately become a thing of the past. Follower counts and shameless trend-hopping has become the new normal, and is now for many users the only way to get their content seen and voice heard.
Neptune seeks to eliminate that barrier and return to the early days of organic reach where users can connect based off of the content itself, not the numbers game that platforms like TikTok have conditioned people to focus on. Whether or not anyone takes to the new app is yet to be decided, but we can be certain that a good number of people are onboard with the idea, with the app having 400,000 users on the waitlist.
Only time will tell whether Neptune will be a proper alternative to the current big-hitters of the social media market. But if it takes off like the team is hoping, then it will change the way in which we engage with social media completely.