Issam Hijazi created a social media platform called UpScrolled by himself, and somehow convinced 5 million people to join in just nine months. He built it after users complained that Facebook, Twitter and other big platforms were censoring their posts.
What makes this wild is that Hijazi had no team, no investors, and no fancy Silicon Valley backing. He just saw people getting frustrated with existing social networks and decided to build his own alternative.
Racing to Keep Up
The success caught even Hijazi off guard. UpScrolled grew so fast that he’s scrambling to hire staff and upgrade servers to handle all the new users flooding in every day. Most social networks take years to build an audience this big, if they ever do at all.
The platform promises less content moderation and more free speech than mainstream social media. Users who felt silenced elsewhere are flocking to UpScrolled, especially people frustrated with how Facebook and Twitter handle controversial topics.
Hijazi is now facing the classic startup problem: his creation succeeded faster than he expected. He’s working around the clock to transform his one-man operation into a real company that can support millions of active users.
The big question is whether UpScrolled can maintain this momentum. History shows that many alternative social networks start strong but struggle to compete long-term with tech giants who have unlimited resources and established user bases.
