In the last ten years, social media platforms have risen in popularity and usefulness.
From LinkedIn to Instagram, people around the world can connect with one another whenever they please.
Creators on platforms such as YouTube are able to make a living from posting content online. Becoming a successful content creator takes time and dedication. TikTok is one app in particular that gives regular people around the world the chance to make it big.
TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. It started as an app called “Musical.ly.” This app was widely used by younger audiences to lip sync and dance to songs.
After being bought out by ByteDance Ltd. in 2017, Musical.ly was merged with its app TikTok, creating the digital phenomenon it is today. Currently, TikTok has the same amount of video diversity that YouTube does. Users can watch curated content ranging from how-to tutorials to dancing to Vine-like funny videos. The options on the app are pretty much endless.
The one aspect that sets TikTok apart from other platforms is its algorithm. The algorithm gives anyone, even the smallest accounts, a chance to go viral and gain followers.
Lily Thompson, a freshman elementary education major, went viral on the app in October 2020. Thompson started TikTok in August of 2019 and has had other videos receive impressive attention, but nothing compared to the video she posted in October.
“[It] was successful compared to my other TikToks. While the number is still growing, I currently have over 1.3 million views and 244,500 likes,” said Thompson.
Thompson’s viral TikTok shows her lip-syncing the different days of the week from an audio on the app, while posing in different outfits for each day.
The app uses an algorithm to autofilter new and trending videos that people all over the world love. Many users have noticed the accuracy of their algorithms- seeing videos that relate to their own hobbies and interests.
“I think it’s fairly accurate with the things I’m interested in,” said Treven Broxterman, a junior mass media major. “[TikTok] scares me when I search for something and then the thing I searched is on my ‘For You Page (FYP)’.”
This is also widely seen over several other social media apps as well. Companies can buy an individual’s search information, leading to scary accurate ads and recommended posts.
Although the app has had tremendous success in the past few years, the credibility of TikTok was challenged in 2020 by President Donald Trump and his administration as they attempted to ban the app in the United States. Users were scared that the app would be taken away, but the threat turned out to be action-less. There is still scrutiny over the credibility of ByteDance Ltd. due to them being a Chinese company, but no further action has been taken to ban the app in the United States.
TikTok continues to rapidly evolve and add new features such as fun filters. With TikTok’s huge user base, it is safe to say that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.