UpScrolled Soars to 2.5M Users, Challenging Social Media Norms

UpScrolled has burst onto the social media scene with a speed that’s hard to ignore. In less than two weeks, the new platform crossed 2.5 million users, according to founder Issam Hijjawi, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about alternatives to mainstream networks. The buzz was particularly strong at Web Summit Qatar 2026, where Hijjawi spoke about why he believes people are ready for something different – and, frankly, why the old model feels like a bit of a faff for many users now.

Hijjawi traces the idea back to a simple frustration: social platforms that claim to serve users while quietly optimising everything for profit. “Big tech companies have proven over the years that they are not ethical,” he said during his appearance, pointing to practices such as selling user data and ignoring the mental health impact of endless engagement loops. UpScrolled, he explained, was built to flip that logic on its head and put users first. I’ve heard similar grumbles from founders around the region before, including a long coffee chat at an Arageek meetup where one early-stage entrepreneur joked that algorithms know him better than his own mum… well, you know?

One thing that makes UpScrolled stand out is its clear rejection of engagement-driven algorithms. There’s no boosting, no suppression, and no paid promotion nudging posts up or down the feed. Instead, users see content from accounts they actively follow, with only light discovery features they choose themselves. Hijjawi argues this restores control and trust, and I reckon that’s spot on at a time when many people feel manipulated online. The platform did gain visibility during heated debates around Gaza, but Hijjawi has been keen to stress that it isn’t built solely for supporters of the Palestinian cause. “We welcome everyone on UpScrolled,” he said, adding that users from across the political spectrum are free to express their views, provided they stay within the law.

What’s surprising – and a little refreshing – is that this growth hasn’t relied on flashy marketing or influencers. Hijjawi says UpScrolled reached the 2.5 million mark organically, climbing app store charts in multiple countries without spending on promotion. That approach seems to have caught the eye of what he describes as “ethical investors”, who are interested despite, or perhaps because of, the platform’s refusal to play by the usual attention-maximising rules. On the flip side, I’m not a fan of how vague the term “ethical investors” can be, but the early traction is definately hard to argue with.

Looking ahead, UpScrolled plans to hold regular sessions with users to gather feedback and guide product development, leaning into its community-first ethos. Tickets linked to Hijjawi’s Web Summit session reportedly sold out quickly, which says a lot in a conference hosting more than 30,000 attendees, 1,600 startups and hundreds of investors. Whether this momentum can be sustained is the big question, but for now, UpScrolled feels like it’s tapped into a very real appetite for calmer, user-controlled online spaces – and that, believe it or not, is something many in the startup world have been chuffed to bits to see.

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