No one could have predicted the app’s meteoric rise to fame when it first released in September 2016 under its Chinese name, Douyin.
Even less so outside of China, as most Chinese applications are designed for domestic usage and do not manage to go global in the same manner that TikTok did.
One of the most rapidly expanding social media networks, TikTok allows users to create and share 15-second to one-minute-long movies. TikTok, which is a lot like Vine but considerably more popular, has been expanding rapidly since since it was introduced. And it is not a sluggish expansion.
In 2017, it was released to consumers throughout the world on the Apple store and Google Play, and in 2018, the exponential rise of its user base began.
Users of the video-sharing app TikTok are amassing millions of views and fans because to their innovative uses of the app’s editing, music, and filter capabilities. Many well-known figures in the social media world have accounts in the top 10 with more than 20 million followers each. And the number of celebrities whose careers were launched thanks exclusively to their TikTok videos continues to rise.
Which social networking sites are seeing the greatest expansion rates?
Facebook had over a billion and a half users when TikTok was released in 2016, while Instagram had roughly 600 million.
TikTok has been the most downloaded social media app worldwide from 2016 until now.
You can see that it is not the same as the fastest growing or the largest.
Specifically, TikTok’s popularity skyrocketed once it joined with Musical.ly, making it somewhat of a cross between Musical.ly and Vine.
TikTok’s growth has been above 30% for the second year in a straight, whereas Facebook and Instagram only see growth of 5- 10% annually.
What makes TikTok so well-liked?
TikTok’s success has left some to ponder the demise of its close relative, Vine.
Time of debut of TikTok and Vine probably had a huge influence, but there are many other considerations as well.
Vine arrived first, and before it, features like Instagram Stories did not even exist.
As a result of platforms like Instagram story and Snapchat, users are now more comfortable than ever with having their own videos recorded, paving the door for TikTok.
But Vine did not do so well. Yet it might not be the sole explanation.
Because to technological advancements, posting from smartphones is now lot simpler than it was in the past.
When comparing TikTok to Vine, it’s clear that the latter app is technologically inferior.
The Byte is Vine’s official successor, and its eventual viability on the market remains to be seen. Comparing it to TikTok, it’s clear that a distinct type of material is prioritised.
TikTok’s “For You” Page
The “For You” page, often known as FYP, undoubtedly had a significant role in TikTok’s popularity.
It’s an AI-driven content discovery feed. The greatest information, tailored to your interests, will be presented to you via a proprietary algorithm powered by artificial intelligence.
The system analyses the videos, comments, and likes you engage with.
The algorithm also considers the preferences of the people whose videos you view, which is analogous to “often bought together” and related features.
We should recognise the engineers that did such an excellent job and attracted hundreds millions of users by creating an algorithm that is always getting better and is already at a very high level.
There is a feature quite similar to FYP on every social media platform, but none of them have achieved the same level of popularity as FYP on TikTok.
TikTok tests
Do you remember when bizarre YouTube challenges were all the rage? When they filmed themselves cramming their faces with cinnamon and spicy peppers, how did it taste? It is not yet over, so don’t believe it is. Both YouTube and TikTok continue to host challenges.
In 2018, Jimmy Fallon popularised the #TumbleweedChallenge, in which participants filmed themselves rolling about on the floor like tumbleweeds to the accompaniment of western music. This garnered him a lot of attention (not that he was without it), but more significantly, it sparked a new trend on TikTok, and people were ready to join in.
Imagine if a popular challenge was started by a brand. While it wouldn’t do much for Fallon’s brand recognition or sales (he’s already very famous), if a brand did what he’s doing, sales would increase and the company’s reputation would improve. The hired influencer might initiate a competition on the brand’s behalf if the company isn’t well-known or doesn’t have a sizable fan base.
As a social media platform, Facebook has lost its cool.
Nothing, not even the ubiquity of social networking sites, can be expected to remain forever.
In 2012, 94% of teenagers were on Facebook, but in 2016, that percentage had dropped to just 50%, according to the statistics. Teenagers no longer consider Facebook to be hip for a variety of reasons. Instead, TikTok has become all the rage because of how easily anyone can produce content and receive a large number of views without necessarily having a large audience.
Another factor that may have influenced teenagers to abandon Facebook in favour of TikTok is the rising popularity of the social networking site among adults of all ages. When I was a teenager, I recall desperately hoping that my parents would ignore Facebook. I didn’t want them to humiliate themselves in front of their friends by searching for things using the status bar instead of Google, not because I had anything to conceal.