The 'Next TikTok' Doesn't Exist
Hyper-Fixation, User Behavior, and Why the Next Big Thing Isn’t Here. At Least Not Yet
With the looming TikTok ban, users are scrambling to find the next app to fill the void—a void created by how much we’ve relied on the app for community, joy, and even as a search engine.
This behavior highlights how deeply integrated TikTok has become in our lives. However, this dependence reveals a larger issue: many of us are so accustomed to constantly holding a device and scrolling through specifically TikTok itself, being without it can feel empty or even unsettling. It creates a distress, urgency, and emptiness, hence the ‘void’. The ‘next best thing’ is something we see a lot with user behavior in the social media world. What’s next and what’s trending?
This is how all users seem to feel right now:
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Let’s take a step back. I’ve mentioned before in this previous post:
“Each platform has its own pros, cons, and audience, but the truth is, there’s no exact replacement for TikTok. Its format, community-building ability, and viral nature are unparalleled. For now, we’ll need to focus on leveraging existing platforms and making them work for us.”
How about REDnote?
Take, for example, the recent buzz around Xiaohongshu, Little Red Book, or REDnote —a Chinese-owned social media app. Many TikTok “refugees” flocked to it, partly in protest and partly to fill the void. While it’s not the same, users are finding joy in engaging with a new community, learning bits of Mandarin, and sharing friendly banter. Red Note users have been welcoming, showing us that the issue isn’t just what governments propose, but teaching us community is everything, even across language barriers.
In the long run I don’t believe REDnote will become a reliable app to divert to due to different countries restrictions, rules, and guidelines, and overall culture adjustment. REDnote is a Chinese app so users will have to respect what’s already been built on the platform with its content and not try to change it. As Americans we already have this idea of the ‘perfect app’ that TikTok showcased. Users will now be moving with this expectation of perfection wherever they go next.
Instead of hyper fixation on what comes next let’s remind ourselves life is meant to lived as well not just scrolling on apps. Maybe this potential ban will be users back to real life, improve social skills, create IRL community (one of my marketing predictions for 2025) and approach consumption with a more critical thought.
When the next app gains popularity, we’ll compare it to TikTok, just as we did with Vine (RIP) It’s user behavior 101. For now, maybe the best move is to embrace change, the patience of innovation, step away from constant scrolling, and explore what life has to offer outside our screens.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop a comment below on this Substack post and share your predictions for what might happen next.
Thanks for reading this week’s Peekko! 🔍
- Natalie Santini