How TikTok Took Over The World

One of the biggest standouts about TikTok is how fast videos get around and can go viral. (PHOTO: Solen Feyissa | Unsplash) One of the biggest standouts about TikTok is how fast videos get around and can go viral. (PHOTO: Solen Feyissa | Unsplash)
<center>One of the biggest standouts about TikTok is how fast videos get around and can go viral. (PHOTO: Solen Feyissa | Unsplash)</center>

Little is known by most of TikTok before it became TikTok and blew up in 2020. Ever heard of Douyin? Probably not and if you have, you are among the few that do, outside China. In 2016, Douyin was launched by the founder of ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, in China. In 2017, it launched outside China as TikTok and eventually acquired another popular U.S. app called Musical.ly to gain the teenage market. If you remember Vine, TikTok filled the gap it left.

With over 689 million active users, 2 billion downloads, and is used in 155 countries, TikTok has had its fair share of controversy, especially regarding security. Several parents have raised concerns about the privacy of information shared on the app. Despite the controversy, it has braved the waters and continued to be a very popular application for age groups between 10 to 29 years old. It’s all about earning more TikTok followers, either through a bot-less growth service like TokUpgrade, or through time and effort. Here is why it is not slowing down anytime soon.

It is impossible to ignore

One of the biggest standouts about TikTok is how fast videos get around and can go viral. It does not matter whether you are a celebrity or an ordinary person, if the content is relatable, humorous, entertaining, or all of those things, it can go far very fast.

You do not have to have expert content editing skills as the filters, music and other features can make your content very interesting with a few clicks here and there on the application. All you have to do is open the application, record a video using features, add some music and filters if you would like, then you may be on your way to stardom, maybe. If the stardom does not come, it is still worth the fun you will experience while creating the content and sharing it with others. If you are lucky, other people will share your content and potentially, join in to create similar content to yours.

All this combined with the time it takes to watch a video, under 15 seconds, is difficult for binge-watchers to miss out on your content because they will be moving through boatloads of videos in a matter of minutes. It could be that they stumble on yours or you stumble on theirs.

It offers a variety of content

You may think ‘TikTok is too young for me’ and to an extent, you may be right. The greatest demography is between 10 to 29 years but that does not mean other age groups cannot find something for them. It does not matter what kind of content you are looking for, whether it is about brands, comedy, lip syncs, sports, and other categories, there is something for almost any user. Several brands, businesses, and celebrities are joining the application to take advantage of its huge reach and connect with many of its customers and fans.

With over 1 million videos viewed every day of the year, it goes to show how there is something for everyone not just over months but every single day.  There’s no reason not to be on the platform and get more eyes on your TikTok profile. Considering average users spend 52 minutes daily on the app, surely, there must be something being done right by the content shared on the app.

It is attractive and easy to use

Young people are the primary users of TikTok. Popularly known as Generation z, they are in the age bracket between 13-24 years. This generation spends a lot of time on their phones which explains why an entertaining application that has short attention videos within 15 seconds has become such a hit with them. 90 percent of users on TikTok access the app daily which goes to show how effective it is in getting its largest demographic glued and browsing through multitudes of content.

When you add an algorithm that suggests content that is customized to your taste, there is no guessing how much time a user will spend on the app.

Conclusion

TikTok blew up as a social media network despite competition from already established networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. It became so popular because it has content that is difficult to ignore that comes in so many varieties that suit almost anybody, and its ease of use. Users do not only get onto the app to watch other people’s content but to create their own with the hope that others will enjoy it too.