Issam Hijazi has always been deeply drawn to technology, discovering an early passion for programming and applications and even starting to code at just 12 years old.
That curiosity quickly grew into a clear direction, guiding him from studying computer science to eventually building his own apps and stepping into the tech industry.
But that soon changed when the tech enthusiast pivoted from working in tech to building a social app that would go on to shake up mainstream media . It was the events of 2023 that changed the course of his career, and with one focus in mind, UpScrolled was born.
While studying for a master's in business administration, Issam watched Israel's genocide in Gaza unfold — what he describes as a "triggering" moment for Palestinians at home and across the diaspora. It was during this time that the idea for UpScrolled began to take shape.
That period became a turning point: what started as a personal response to a deeply affecting moment evolved into the foundation for a platform aimed at reshaping how people engage with news and media. Suppressed, silenced, and shadow-banned "I looked at the social media landscape, and I was seeing people's voices being suppressed, silenced, and people getting deactivated from these platforms, only for speaking out about Palestine, or what's happening in Gaza," Issam tells The New Ara b.
After asking his friends if they could see the content he was posting online, Issam came to learn about shadow banning , where platforms use algorithms to suppress content, understanding it was an issue impacting many pro-Palestinian users.
"I looked around, and I saw people looking for alternatives from the comments, from research, and so on," Issam continues. "I was like, maybe it's time for us to create something that is not really dominated by billionaires who would suppress people expressing themselves, talking about things that matter to them."
Meeting the founder at his office in Amsterdam, where he traded Australia's outback to scenic canals just over two months ago, Issam explains why he created the app.
Similar to Instagram and X's microblogging style, UpScrolled lets users post videos and photos, follow whom they like, and chat with them as well.
But how does it differ? Well, for starters, it doesn't use algorithms for manipulation.
In layman's terms, an algorithm is a set of rules that platforms use to curate, sort and prioritise content you see. What users think they are viewing freely is actually what the platform is trying to push, and what they might not see is what it is trying to suppress, like content centred on Palestine .
The founder explains he wanted to create a non-political platform that did not use algorithms to control what content users see.
"We don't inject content into your timeline just because we think it's useful for you or otherwise," Issam says.
"We don't follow any political agendas, and we play it fair with everyone. We're here to really give everyone an equal opportunity and a platform to speak about anything that matters to them," he adds. "It's where they can be themselves and share what they care about and connect with like-minded people. But also, if they want to talk about certain things, they should not be scared of that happening." Taking on Big Tech Launched in July last year, UpScrolled gained decent traction worldwide, reaching more than 50,000 users.
A few months later, it became the fastest-growing app, hitting record download levels, surpassing 2.5 million global users, and briefly becoming the number one free app on Apple's App Store and Google Play.
"To be honest, that was surreal. I did not really anticipate that personally," Issam shares on UpScrolled's newfound fame.
"I always wanted it to be popular, that's for sure. That was my dream. Did I know it would happen in this short time? Not really."
He notes that when he says "I", he literally means himself, as it was a team of only him back then, not anticipating the app's future success.
"To see it grow so fast, and we didn't have the team for it, it was one person, that was me, I did not really see it become this big so fast, but that's a good problem to have," Issam says, having now expanded his one-man crew to a diverse team on the ground and across the world.
Issam attributes people's frustrations with Big Tech to UpScrolled's success, including the recent US acquisition of TikTok, to the belief that it was intended to silence more people.
"People are smart enough now, they're awakened, and they were looking for alternatives. They knew about UpScrolled, they joined it, and the rest is history," the founder says.
"Just let people speak out, don't suppress them. People now use this platform to exchange information, to receive news about what's happening."
Being Palestinian himself, Issam felt determined to give users an equal opportunity to post content online, having lost 60 family members to Israel's genocidal war.
"What motivates me is seeing the unfortunate events that are happening in Gaza, and wanting to do more as a human being, as in giving back to humanity," he tells The New Arab. "The people in Gaza, what they have given up the past couple of years, and they continue to, is nothing to what I'm trying to give, or anybody is trying to contribute to the world." Countering doomscrolling The mission is reflected in the name itself; instead of wanting users to fall into the trap of mindless scrolling, the founder wants them to "scroll up" if they see a post they are interested in.
"If something catches your attention, you go back to it, and you want to spend more time on it," Issam says.
"I wanted UpScrolled to be that, as in everything within it is something that you want to keep looking at, rather than just doomscrolling, per se."
Instead of falling down the rabbit hole of mindless videos and endless memes, the founder wants users to be in control of what they see and view posts they find interesting, with no algorithm in place to push content their way.
Issam reflects on the social media landscape 20 years ago, when users would simply see posts from their followers and spend less time on the app than many do now, encouraging users to seek healthier alternatives.
"It was fun times, people were happy, people were going out, going to those social media platforms, scrolling, see what's happening, and then logging off, that's it," he says.
"As a user, you know what you want to see; we shouldn't be trying to put stuff your way just to keep you on the app," he adds, noting how mainstream users push content not to keep users entertained, but to keep them hooked.
"Be in control of what you want to read and understand and learn, rather than having someone or some company putting things on your feed just to keep you scrolling on their app." Helping people find a space of comfort online Building an app does not come without difficulties, including sourcing funds, keeping up with regulatory requests, and unfounded claims of anti-semitism .
Similarly, what happened to fellow pro-Palestine app, Boycat , UpScrolled was removed from Google's Play Store in the early hours of 14 February this year, without any explanation.
The app was swiftly reinstated , but Issam notes that while they are forced to work with and rely on the mainstream stores for users to access their site, it will not stop him from continuing to challenge any difficulties they might face.
"We are trying to fight them, we're just trying to provide a fair platform, but of course, everyone else who is against what we're trying to build will make a case — and those tech companies will continue to listen to them," he tells The New Arab. "They will continue to fight us, as in the system, but we're here to stay. We're not going anywhere."
Along with keeping up with multiple agency requests, Issam is also focusing on growing and improving the app, aiming for UpScrolled to stand alongside social media giants.
While the tech founder notes that it will take a while, he says the UpScrolled team will continue to add new features and functionality and partner with organisations around the world in the meantime. Issam is determined to ensure the app has differentiating features that set UpScrolled apart. What they will be, he does not yet know, but he is determined to make it happen.
"You will see new things on the platform itself very soon," he reveals.
The next big step for Issam is to have complete digital independence and own the infrastructure, rather than relying on Big Tech or a US-based company to run UpScrolled behind the scenes.
"UpScrolled, for me, is the first step to being digital independent from everything," he explains.
"My vision is much bigger than just a social media platform, but we needed to start somewhere. So, building UpScrolled and making it successful, hopefully, will set the bar that we need to do for the next big thing that we want to build."
Amid all this development, it comes down to Issam Hijazi's ultimate goal: what he hopes to bring to the digital landscape.
"I would hope people would feel 100 percent comfortable being themselves without the fear of being censored just for who they are," he shares.
"I want people to be well-informed, be able to express themselves in a different way and to find that comfortable place where they can be themselves without any fear." Anam Alam is a staff writer at The New Arab. She frequently writes about human rights and social issues, including women's rights and sex education Follow her on X: @itsanamalam