Behind the Transformation of the Baijiahao APP: A Profound Change in Content, AI, and User Attention
Hello everyone, I'm your financial journalist and economist. Today, we're not talking about a simple product adjustment by a company, but rather the curtain call for a generation of internet product formats.
Recently, Baidu announced that it would rename the "Baijiahao APP" to "Baidu Live Companion," integrating the functions for posting articles and videos into the "Creation Center" within the Baidu APP. Although the accounts, followers, and revenue remain, the familiar and independent Baijiahao entry point has basically faded from the historical stage.
This is more than just a name change; it's like a signal that the golden age of self-media, characterized by the proliferation of various platforms, is coming to an end. To help you understand the implications behind this, I'll break it down into five key aspects and explain it in plain language.
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1. From "Competing for Territory" to "Major Integration": A Fundamental Shift in Platform Logic
In the past: Platforms lacked content and frantically sought out authors.**
Ten years ago, internet giants had traffic (users), but their homepages were empty. What platforms needed most were articles. So, Baidu created Baijiahao, Tencent created Penguin Account, Alibaba created Duyu Account, and ByteDance created Toutiao Account.
The logic was simple: "As long as you write, we'll give you traffic, subsidies, and a share of the revenue."
For self-media creators, it was a time of easy profit or more work, more money. After writing an article, you could earn from seven or eight different platforms by simply copying and pasting it. This even led to the development of tools like "one-click distribution." Platforms were eager for creators to join because there was a severe shortage of content.
Now: Platforms no longer lack content and are focusing on efficiency.**
The situation has reversed. There's so much content that platforms no longer need separate apps just for submitting it.
By merging Baijiahao into Baidu Live Companion, Baidu is lowering the barriers and consolidating its resources.
- For users: They don't need to download multiple apps; they can access content directly within Baidu.
- For platforms: It reduces maintenance costs for separate apps and focuses traffic on the main app and the emerging live streaming services.
- For creators: The entry point has changed, but the core logic remains the same—you're still creating content, just in a different platform.
In simple terms: It's like how shopping malls used to have separate clothing stores; now, they've merged them into a supermarket, making it easier for customers to find what they need.
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2. The Impact of Short Videos: The End of the Text-Based Era
Why are these platforms losing their appeal? Because users don't want to read text anymore.
Platforms like Baijiahao and Duyu were based on text. Their underlying logic was: "We need articles, so we recruit authors to write them."
However, with the rise of platforms like TikTok, Kuaishou, and Video Accounts, user behavior has changed dramatically.
- In the past: To learn cooking, you’d search for a 3,000-word recipe.
- Now: You watch a 30-second video to learn the steps.
- In the past: To buy a phone, you’d read a detailed review.
- Now: You watch videos from bloggers first before making a decision.
The core issue: Users have the same amount of time, but less of it is spent on reading text. When users prefer to watch videos rather than read articles, text-based platforms are at a disadvantage.
In simple terms: It’s like how newspapers were once popular, but now people prefer short videos.
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3. The Redesign of REDnote: From a "Content Library" to a "Database of Real Experiences"
What did REDnote do right? It sells real experiences, not just articles.
While short videos have changed the format of content, REDnote has redefined its value.
Traditional platforms like Baijiahao were more like "content libraries" with pre-written, edited, and standardized articles.
REDnote, on the other hand, is more like a "database of real life experiences":
- "This hotel looks good, but it’s noisy at night."
- "I used this product for three months; these are its drawbacks."
- "During this company interview, the interviewer asked these tricky questions."
The difference: Users search on Baidu for standard answers or knowledge, but on REDnote for practical advice and real experiences.
This shift is significant because users rely more on real experiences for decision-making.
In simple terms: Newspapers (text-based platforms) haven’t disappeared, but expecting people to spend two hours reading them every day is unrealistic. People prefer 10-minute videos on the subway.
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4. The Double-Edged Sword of AIGC: Excess Content and the Shift in Reading Habits
AI has made content production cheap and reading less necessary.
AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) has had a profound impact:
1. On the supply side: There’s an oversupply of content. AI can generate what used to take several people days to create in minutes—titles, summaries, images, scripts.
Result: Content is no longer scarce and can be overwhelming. Platforms no longer need to rely on many authors.
2. On the demand side: Users no longer read articles; they ask AI for answers.
In the past: Users found information, read it, and summarized it themselves.
Now: They use AI like ChatGPT or DeepSeek to get immediate answers.
Result: Users don’t even need to read the original content.
What does this mean for content platforms? If users rely on AI for information, platforms’ role as primary sources of information is diminished.
What becomes scarce is:
- Credibility: AI might provide incorrect information, but real experiences are more reliable.
- Uniqueness: AI can summarize common knowledge, but not personal, unique experiences.
- Personality: Users value human interaction over information.
In simple terms: You used to go to libraries for books; now, you ask an AI for answers. The value of libraries lies in the hidden information and exclusive stories.
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5. Who Survived? The Moats of WeChat Official Accounts and Toutiao
Why did Baijiahao disappear, while WeChat Official Accounts and Toutiao remain strong?
Some of those platforms survived because they offered irreplaceable values:
1. WeChat Official Accounts: They build relationships. People follow them not for the quality of their articles but because they want to continue interacting with the creator.
This personal connection is hard for AI to replace.
2. Toutiao: Its strength lies in its advanced algorithmic recommendations.
It knows what users might want to read, making it one of the most efficient content distribution methods.
Traditional open platforms like Baijiahao lack the personal connection of WeChat Official Accounts and the algorithmic power of Toutiao, as well as the community feel of REDnote.
Their role has become more transitional: the infrastructure and content are still there, but users have fewer reasons to use them.
In simple terms: WeChat Official Accounts are like trusted friends whose updates you regularly check; Toutiao recommends things you’re interested in; Baijiahao, like old newsstands, have been replaced by AI and other platforms.
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Conclusion: A Marking of an Era
The renaming of the Baijiahao APP is a sign that the content internet is moving from a period of traffic-driven growth to one of value-based engagement.
- In the past: The focus was on the number of platforms, authors, and subsidies.
- Now: The focus is on the authenticity of content (REDnote), the strength of relationships (WeChat Official Accounts), the accuracy of algorithms (Toutiao), and adaptability to the AI era (all platforms).
For creators, the days of registering on multiple platforms and duplicating content are over.
The future’s competitive edge lies in:
1. The authenticity and uniqueness of my content, making it hard for AI to replace it.
2. The personal connection I build with users.
3. My ability to engage users even when AI provides immediate answers.
The internet hasn’t lost creators, and humans will always express themselves. But the era of mass, repetitive content creation is behind us. The disappearance of the Baijiahao APP is a symbolic end to that era.