After an unsuccessful reinvention, China’s Facebook becomes a social app again
Renren has launched a new version refocusing on connecting students
Live streaming, gaming, online lending -- China’s social media platform Renren, once known as the Facebook of China, has been trying to reinvent itself since it fell out of fashion among younger users. Today, it launched a new version of the Renren app, bringing it back to where it started: A social networking app.
Much like Facebook, Renren became one of China’s biggest social media networks after tapping into the student population. However, soon after its IPO in 2011, the app started losing ground to mobile-focused social platforms like WeChat. Since then, the app has tried out many of the country’s tech trends, including issuing crypto tokens and live streaming, but has failed to attract a larger audience.
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