What is Tik Tok?

Tik Tok is a new form of social media that is taking the world by storm. It is a new way generation alpha and generation Z are communicating. New York Times describes it as “is an app for making and sharing short videos. The videos are tall, not square, like on Snapchat or Instagram’s stories, but you navigate through videos by scrolling up and down, like a feed, not by tapping or swiping side to side.” The older generations are getting confused on what it is and why it is so popular. The younger generations are jumping on the trend so fast that now there are around 500 million users, and that number is only increasing. 

The users are not only learning things from the app, but the app is also learning from its users. When you open the app it beings you to a page called “For You”. This page is filled with never ending videos of people using the app. The more you use the app and like certain videos the more the “For You” page comes accustom to its users. This makes it more attractive to its audience because the “feed” is forever changing. Another thing that makes this app one of the most popular social media trends ever, is that it allows more everyday people to become famous. On other social media platforms, you have to build an audience and gain fame and followers by word of mouth or shout outs. On Tik Tok you can end up on the “For You” page randomly and instantly gain followers. Many people find the app addicting and I can totally agree with that. Personally, I love the app because the videos are so short and there is a never-ending supply of them. Apparently, the app is so successful due to the fact that it gets its audience engaged. Other social media platforms are trying to achieve that. Tik Tok is doing it right now. It is showing its audience a wide range of videos and gathering information on what they like. They continue to feed their audience videos they like. It seems like a simple concept to get but other social media platforms make their audience connect with friends. Tik Tok has made it seem like “friends” or “followers” are what is holding them back. Any new social media platform creates a new way to communicate. Tik Tok does this in a way that is different then the others. It is also reaching a younger crowd then most of them. The ways we are communicating are forever evolving and staying up to date with the new social media platforms helps you stay connected. To read the New York Times article click here.