Imagine Instagram, but TikTok version. That’s Whee in a nutshell.
Did you think the social media market was saturated? Think again ! ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has launched Whee, a new photo-sharing application that looks suspiciously like… Instagram.
A future success or yet another clone doomed to failure? Let’s take a closer look at the details of this new Chinese offensive.
At first glance, Whee looks just like Instagram. The design of publications, the placement of comments, the private messages section, the assistant for taking a photo… It’s all there. ByteDance makes no secret of it: the objective is clearly to tread on Instagram’s flowerbeds.
But why launch an app so similar? The strategy is simple: TikTok has already conquered the short video market, and even exceeded one billion users. Now ByteDance wants its piece of the pie in the photo market. A strategy reminiscent of that of Instagram launching Threads to compete with X (formerly Twitter).
Privacy as a selling point
Where Whee is really different is on the issue of privacy. Unlike Instagram where public sharing is the norm, Whee is all about private sharing. Your photos are only visible to your contacts, period. Likes and comments are also limited to this restricted circle.
This is a surprising choice on the part of TikTok, often criticized for its management of personal data. Is this an attempt to restore its image? Or did ByteDance sense a real need from users tired of constant exposure on traditional networks?
You might think that launching a new social app in 2024 is a risky bet. After all, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others already dominate the market. But ByteDance has proven with TikTok that it is possible to shake up the established giants. With Whee, the Chinese company is certainly trying to capitalize on its success. If it can convert even a fraction of its TikTok users, Whee could quickly become a very serious competitor.
Whee is currently not available only in a handful of countries, and this is not the case in France.
