Koo
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Overview
Koo is a multi-lingual microblogging platform similar to Twitter. The Indian app allows users to categorize their posts with hashtags and tag other users in mentions or replies. Koo uses a yellow-and-white interface similar to its yellow bird logo. After a controversy involving Twitter and the government of India, Koo became more widely used in the country, later spreading to others, especially Brazil, during Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition.
History
Koo is an Indian microblogging based in Bengaluru, India, created by entrepreneurs Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka on November 19th, 2019[1]. The platform was launched in March 2020, gaining popularity in India in 2021 amid a controversy involving the Indian government and Twitter[2]. As of May 2021, the company was valued at over $100 million USD[3].
Online Presence
Twitter's relationship with the Indian government started to falter on February 21st, 2021, when the company blocked access to accounts associated with farmers protesting against the Indian government[5]. After the blockages drew widespread condemnation online, Twitter unblocked all the accounts on the same day, resulting in India's government threatening to sue the company's employees in the country[6]. As a result, Koo rose in fame as a less controversial platform and became a notable substitute for Twitter for many users.
Koo offers a similar design to Twitter, with its main feature being multi-language translations to be used by Indian users who speak one of the country's 19 official languages (not just English)[4]. After Elon Musk acquired Twitter in late 2022, the app began to popularize outside of India as a potential alternative microblogging site.
Popularity in Brazil
On November 18th, 2022, amid the controversies surrounding Twitter and Elon Musk and the 2022 Twitter shutdown rumors, some Brazilians migrated to the rival social network Koo. Many people opened an account on the platform, turning Koo into the most downloaded app in Brazil[7] on November 19th, 2022. Brazilians chose the app not only to rival Twitter, but for a love for puns (the platform's name can be interpreted as "cu" in Portuguese, which translates to "ass" in English). A recently-made Brazilian account for the app on Twitter explained that the platform name "Koo" is the sound of the yellow bird in the logo, not the meaning Brazilians were joking online. The post, seen below, received 219,000 likes and 33,000 retweets in four days.
To our friends in Brazil!
Koo is the sound of this cute yellow bird. Not what you think 😂🤭🤫— Koo Brazil (@KooForBrasil) November 18, 2022
The app quickly spread in Brazil and filled social media with an avalanche of memes related platform's name and the sudden increase of Brazilian users. The Brazilian @LeviKaique joked that Brazilians are making the platform work overtime to create new features and Portuguese translations just for Brazilians to forget the app in a week. The post, from November 18th, 2022, received 82,700 likes and 8,700 retweets in four days (seen below).
Vocês não tem responsabilidade afetiva, né ?
Os donos do Koo tão super animados com vocês abrindo Koo hoje, pra depois enjoarem do Koo e abandonarem o Koo em uma semana :/ pic.twitter.com/ujfTM1U04M— Levi Kaique Ferreira (@LeviKaique) November 18, 2022
Search Interest
External References
[1] Wikipedia – Koo Social Media
[2] India Times – Feud between Twitter and government intensifies: A look at 6 flashpoints
[3] Economic Times – Koo’s valuation rises five times in three months in new funding round
[4] UOL – Koo: o que é e quais os problemas do app que viralizou em crise do Twitter
[5] Time – Why Twitter Blocked Accounts Linked to Farmers' Protests in India
[6] Buzzfeed – India threatens twitter jail
[7] Mundo Conectado – Koo's the most downloaded app in Brazil
[8] Twitter – Koo For Brazil
