Sponsored Content. The sponsor may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

In today’s culture, social media holds significant importance, yet it’s constantly evolving. Over time, new platforms emerge while long-established ones may decline rapidly given certain circumstances. For instance, consider TikTok, which is currently facing considerable opposition in the United States and may not have a stable future ahead. Its fate is uncertain.

As TikTok faces challenges, it’s essential to note the rise of emerging social media apps that are already doing well abroad. It’s only a matter of time before these apps gain traction in the U.S. For early adopters, such platforms provide an excellent opportunity, especially when a well-known social media site is experiencing instability.

This is why I’ve been closely monitoring Bigo Live. This live-streaming platform, launched in 2016, has seen significant growth. Bigo Live currently boasts around 500 million users across more than 150 countries, with its popularity rising in the U.S. This creates a promising opportunity for content creators and influencers seeking alternatives to TikTok or aiming to boost their visibility.

There’s a social media platform out there for everyone, but there’s something to be said about the opportunity to be an early adapter … while also being able to operate on a platform that offers a potential audience of literally hundreds of millions. This is exactly what Bigo Live can bring to the table, given its comparatively low current profile in the U.S. and its massive existing user community.

Here’s why looking into a live-streaming platform like this matters for U.S. users at this exact time in history. As you may have heard, TikTok is currently in the middle of a 75-day time extension, during which it has to be sold to a U.S. company. The deadline for the sale is in June, and if things fall through, there’s a very real chance that the app will be banned in the United States — and this time, it might not be a temporary thing. If that happens, plenty of people may very well be rushing to establish their social media presence in other arenas … and a lot of them may find it really hard to create a footprint on saturated platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.

The way I see it, this is where Bigo Live comes in. For comparative newcomers who wish to have an impactful social media presence on a new platform, the app offers precisely that — as well as an active, friendly, and large community of users. Veteran content creators will also benefit from the platform’s inclusive vibe and its potential for massive audiences.

The Singapore-based Bigo Live was launched in 2016 and has been growing steadily ever since. Because of its international nature and the way it embraces all users, it has built a reputation for inclusivity — which the platform has often embraced in its various celebrations of diversity, from a partnership with iHeartMedia at the 2024 LA Pride Parade to LGBTQ+ Bigo Live dating shows. If you’re not a user yet, Bigo Live offers plenty of information about these events and far more on the official Bigo Live U.S.A. Instagram account.  

This gives you some idea of how welcoming the platform is, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s also extremely fun and handy to use. Bigo Live’s slogan is “Live Your Moments,” and it puts its money where its mouth is by creating a uniquely playful experience that allows the users to do just that. The app’s high quality, low-latency live-streaming has a user-friendly interface that allows you to use interactive beauty features and 3D avatars, give and receive virtual gifts, and do plenty more to truly embrace the interactive nature of the Bigo Live community.

And a community it very much is. As much as Bigo Live loves to allow individual users to engage with others, the community it nurtures is integral to the platform, and every year, it celebrates all kinds of users in the Bigo Live Awards Gala.

Many Bigo Live users — early U.S. adapters and longtime international members alike — have already made the platform their home, becoming a part of the ever-growing Bigo community. Obiageliaku Anusionwu, who uses the Bigo ID BaldBarbie, is a prolific contributor to the African creator community, and uses her popular live-streaming to highlight a diverse array of talent. Muñeca Washington, aka Dollbaby26, is a prominent member of the highly inclusive platform’s LGBTQ+ community who often live-streams elaborate and playful makeup tutorials.

Ben Smith, whose Bigo ID is Guitargod83, is a veteran musician from the bands Idiom, A.M. or Above, and Light Up the Eyes. His four-year Bigo Live path has enabled him to reach out to fans both old and new, often dropping new music during his live-streaming sessions. Using the Bigo ID Blue.Purple is none other than Broadway star Jarran Muse, who entertains his 18,000-strong follower base with live streams that range from fun behind-the-scenes info to performances. Hip-hop artist Nēco Shipp (Bigo ID: Nec16) and DJ Khadaffy Brown (Bigo ID: DjKhadaffy) are among the other musical creative forces who have become an important part of the Bigo Live community.

Globally, one of the platform’s biggest stars is the Vietnamese Trác Thanh Phương Thảo, aka Trac Trac, whose Bigo ID Tractrac is home to fun live streams that can feature anything from collaborations with other prominent Bigo community members to games and various forms of fan interaction. Other prominent Bigo users include singer and model Yetta Brown (Bigo ID: YettaBrownBaby) and popular drag performer SuchaKardashian.