TikTok, a newer social media platform, has taken the world by storm with its creative content creators quickly rising to fame gaining followers after one viral video.
An app that first started as “Musical.ly” was bought by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company, in November of 2017 according to Business of Apps. In fact the creator of TikTok and Chinese billionaire, Zhang Yiming, owns 24 percent of the tech company. TikTok began in 2016 and was merged with Musical.ly giving us the app that’s known today. In November 2019, TikTok, also known as Douyin in China, has hit a total of 1.5 billion downloads according to Sensor Tower and the number of downloads continue to rise.
According to Media Kix, in the US, 60 percent of its monthly users are ranging from ages 16 to 24. Per day, users spend an average of 52 minutes on the app.
“First, I downloaded it as a joke,” sophomore Nicole Bydalek, elementary education major, wrote via text, “but then I got addicted and ended up posting videos myself. Sometimes you never realize how much time you spend on the app.”
“I honestly downloaded it due to curiosity,” junior Brittany Romano, social work and gender and body studies major, said via text, “because people were showing me really funny videos. It reminded me of Vine so I decided to give it a shot.”
The algorithm of TikTok is based off of videos you “like” or typically engage more with. The “For You” page is an ongoing feed that is personalized to the videos you enjoy watching. Not only this, but it has a wide variety of content that users have created for their audience to enjoy. The app consists of 15- to 60-second videos, allowing an area for comments, a place to share the video, like the video and a place to follow the creator.
“I love military homecomings, the dance mashups and any video that has to do with babies or puppies,” sophomore Kiara Moore, health science major, said.
“I like comedy videos on TikTok,” Romano said. “That’s the main reason I’m on it. I also like some educational aspects. Since we’ve been in quarantine, I’ve been watching more baking recipes.”
Many TikTok users have taken advantage of this opportunity. Not only are teens actively changing the world by raising awareness on issues, but tutors, teachers and other students are helping students learn more about certain subjects. There are
also videos created for life hacks where the viewers can learn how to do everyday tasks in a more effective way. TikTok is an app that can even be used for marketing brands, gain followers and to educate and inform the audience.
According to Forbes, the app is used as a marketing platform. Knowing the demographic of a brand and trusting the algorithm of TikTok, many companies can be able to build their business just by posting videos that may go viral. Instead of building and growing within the first few years, there’s a possibility of gaining followers in the first few days of posting. For example, photographers have found a simple and easy way to reach a bigger network. In Shutterstock’s Blog, author, writes how photographers can create content with videotaping, how they edit, where they take pictures and more behind the scenes action. It is a way for photographers to build their business.
With everything that is occurring nowadays, doctors have jumped on the platform. These doctors are using this app in order to share news about the coronavirus. They have a mission to inform the viewers about certain rumors and to stop the spread of misinformation. Many doctors are on the app to answer questions and to help the public understand what is truly happening during this pandemic.
TikTok is a fun social media platform that has a wide variety of user generated content. From dancing videos to educational videos, this app has something for anyone to enjoy.
“I first thought it was a good app for little kids to express themselves,” Bydalek said, “but it’s for all ages.”
“I would 100 percent recommend it to a friend,” Moore said, “but download at your own risk. It is highly addictive.”
