The palpable anti-China sentiment simmering in the country has made way for an Indian app in the top-10 of the download charts, as people start boycotting and uninstalling TikTok after the recent string of controversies took its brand image down the drain. Mitron TV, a rival app of TikTok has raked over 50 lakh (5 million) downloads in the one month since its launch and has come out as an alternative to the Chinese cringe video making app.
Developed by one Shivank Aggarwal, an IIT Roorkee student, the app has been steadily generating the steam as Indians flock to the play store to download the app. The made in India video making app has a 4.7-star rating on Google Play store. Mitron TV has entered the market at an opportune moment when people are looking for a viable alternative to TikTok.
Deepak Abbot, co-founder of Flat White Capital and former Sr Vice President at Paytm called the word “Mitron” the growth hack for the app.
https://twitter.com/deepakabbot/status/1264912138826584066
The ratings of TikTok had nose-dived to 1.3 stars but after Google stepped in and secretly deleted over 5 million negative reviews TikTok breathed a sigh of relief as the ratings started going up.
It all started with the feud between YouTube roaster CarryMinati and TikTok influencer Amir Siddiqui. CarryMinati decimated Siddiqui and TikTok in a video that had brought a great deal of negative spotlight on TikTok.
However, things were all fun and games until this point, it all went south when YouTube removed CarryMinati’s video from its platform and as a result, people mobilized against TikTok and started reporting the app whilst simultaneously giving it low ratings.
Over the next few days, disturbing videos came out of the cringe TikTok world which enraged the netizens to report the app for promoting acid attacks, rape, animal abuse, jihad, and a deranged anti-Hindu mentality.
https://twitter.com/IntrepidSaffron/status/1262066309736603653
Promoting RAPE Now? #TikTok you think you will keep on promoting video’s which will spoil our country’s youth and we will accept it? RT if you support #BanTikTokInIndia #tiktokexposed #tiktokrating #tiktokapp pic.twitter.com/x9nflhPGIl
— MAYANK CHAUDHARY (Modi Ka Parivar 🇮🇳) (@IamMayank_) May 19, 2020
The ByteDance owned app TikTok has also been repeatedly accused of being a spyware tool for CCP and its sinister motives.
The app is a total wreck and letting it flourish, all under the nose of government is a serious threat to the nation’s security. Just the way Madras High Court had banned the use of app last year, similar action needs to be undertaken to ban the app—albeit permanently this time.
Banning it will only work when people have an alternative and that’s where the Mitron TV needs to build on. Although the app is in its initial stages and understandably has few bugs but the users are sticking around and providing constructive criticism so that the app is better equipped to deal with TikTok in the future.
The users are especially proud that an Indian app is finally in the market to challenge the Chinese hegemony. Indian entrepreneurs should come on board and help the IIT student to build on the initial success of the app.
As for PM Narendra Modi’s message to become ‘aatma-nirbhar’ (Self-dependent) what better success story than Mitron app which has the catchphrase as its name that he so often uses in his speeches. A truly desi made-in-India innovation.