When you think of the year 2020, it is quite hard not to think of the now popular app TikTok. To give a brief introduction, TikTok is a platform where people can enjoy watching and creating 15 to 60 second videos of anything and everything! From cooking to dancing videos, TikTok’s versatility definitely allows it to stand out from other platforms.
However, it was not always known as TikTok. In China, where it was created in September of 2016 under the company ByteDance, it was more commonly known under the name Douyin. However, it was only available to the Chinese market and closed to worldwide doors until August of 2018. Later on, it became available worldwide after merging with the formerly popular app Musical.ly, forming the TikTok we are all familiar with today.
With almost 2 billion downloads, it would be almost impossible for TikTok to not have an impact on the world today. Although it seems like a simple app, TikTok has influenced and impacted the lives of many people. What definitely changed is the easy access to fast content. Compared to YouTube and its lengthy media, TikTok has made fast and quick entertainment more accessible to everyone around the world. It became harder for an individual to grow bored of staring at the screen because of the content being changed and varied within 15 to 60-second intervals. With just a swipe, it is possible to watch something new and find oneself re-entertained. Because of this, sense of time becomes warped, and instead of supposedly spending a five-minute break in this app, one can find oneself scrolling through the For You Page two hours later.
However, there is always a positive side to everything. This can be seen in the perspective of the influencers. Because of how fast and easy it is to make content, there started an influx in the number of influencers. Due to the versatility of TikTok’s content and its algorithm, it became easier for anyone to ride aboard the train of popularity. This granted faster access to fame, and it can be seen in the case of many influencers such as Charli D’Amelio, the app's most followed user. Her journey to fame happened almost overnight. Her dance cover of the song Lottery (Renegade) blew up almost instantly and from being a high school student at Connecticut, she became a successful media personality who has even appeared in the Super Bowl and has a drink in Dunkin with her namesake.
Regardless of whether you like it or not, TikTok is arguably one of the most successful apps in the current digital market. This could be attributed to its algorithm that allows viewers to remain hooked in the app. Apps like Instagram and Triller have even attempted to imitate the formula for an easy ride to success. Even with the recent news of Donald Trump almost banning the app, it looks like TikTok is here to stay.
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