Bekah Schmitz
Launched in 2017, TikTok is a growing social media platform that allows users to create short lip sync comedic videos. Since the initial release date in late 2016, 1.4 billion people have downloaded the app, making it the most downloaded. Quarter 1 of 2019 alone had more than 33 million downloads.Tiktok allows teens and adults to express themselves in a different way than other social media, such as instagram, twitter and facebook. An article written by Oblero explains that TikTok uses an entertainment platform rather than a lifestyle media option. On TikTok, a lot of relatable videos are posted and shared, which allows users from all around the world to laugh and collaborate with each other. TikTok has special features such as creating duets with other users, adding filters, uploading funny videos, etc. It can remind people of an old app, Vine, which no longer exists.
A lot of teenagers choose to post random videos because they want to go viral and it is a fun thing to do when hanging out with your friends. Others just like to look at different weird, cringy, funny meme videos that have been posted by people around the United States and in different countries. Either way, Tiktok is leaving an imprint on the world and projected to grow even more in 2020. You even see videos originated from TikTok posted on instagram or facebook that were made into memes and became even more popular.
Another interesting aspect of Tik Tok is that popular creators that gain a lot of followers and likes on the app from “going viral”, are able to get gifts from people who like their videos. From those gifts, it allows those users to make money off of their videos. Some make up to 5,000 dollars per video. That is a lot of money if you think about just standing in front of your phone screen and dancing to a song. Also, creators can earn money by if they have enough followers or likes, they do brand ads and those companies pay them.Fast Company found that on average users spend 45 minutes a day on TikTok, which is more than the average daily use on Facebook. The New York Times also wrote about this popular app and included that a 16 year old in New York admits he spends 16 hours a week on the app. That is just one kid, so imagine all of the other teens who find themselves a “tik tok addict” and use large amounts of their time on this app. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you might want to catch on the bandwagon.
Works Cited
Dishman, Lydia. “Is TikTok a Time Bomb?” Fast Company, Fast Company, 27 Aug. 2019, www.fastcompany.com/90395898/is-tiktok-a-time-bomb.Mohsin, Maryam. “10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2019 [Infographic].” Oberlo,
Oberlo Dropshipping App., 22 Nov. 2019, www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics.
Sommer, Liz. “The Economics Of TikTok.” StayHipp, 3 July 2019, stayhipp.com/media/tiktok/the-economics-of-tiktok/.
Tik tok is definitely taking over. I remember when it gained popularity in the summer time and all my friends and I went through the, "I'm never downloading that stupid app" phase. It wasn't long before we all caved and began our journey's in tik tok addictions. I'm not too surprised that the average time a day spent on the app is 45 minutes; once you're on it it's so hard to get off! However, I am shocked that some users can make $5,000 per video. That is a crazy amount for doing something so simple!
ReplyDeleteTiktok has definitely changed the way we look at social media. Just like vine, it has created new famous characters that some of us my love or hate. However I love the fact that tiktok creators have been able to create new meme-like comedy, I believe that is the main reason tiktok has grown so much. Not because all of this influencer wanna be’s who just try their hardest to become famous, and therefore create questionable content that may have a chance at blowing them up in views.
ReplyDeleteEven though some people are “TikTok” addicts, I don’t think it’s widely different from and other apps. Other social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube may not have as many downloads, but are similar in popularity. There are people that spend a lot of time on these apps so instead of saying TikTok may be ruining your life I think it could be argued that social media in general is. Creators on any of these apps can make money, but making up to 5,000 dollars on TikTok sounds crazy because compared to Youtube where you have to come up with a creative video, all you have to do for TikTok is create a super short funny music video or lip sync with a song.
ReplyDeleteThe title here implies that bad things can be said about Tik Tok, so what do you think some negative repercussions of using the app are? How bad is the “addiction” for the person experiencing it, really? It is most definitely a craze and it is most definitely taking over, particularly for a younger generation. It surprises me that it has become more popular than snapchat even, based on the visual used, because snapchat also has an audience of celebrities and middle-aged people alike that Tik Tok doesn’t have. Instead, Tik Tok has made their own little celebrities that clearly are living the life, getting paid for something they would do without the check.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know TikTok has gained popularity over the past few months I certainly do not it is overtaking my life or those around me. I find it as a waste of time and really not entertaining at all. I do realize that some people do enjoy the app and I think they should stop wasting their time.
ReplyDeleteI think Tik tok is extremely stupid and is terrible and people who obsess over it I shouldn't talk too.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some TikToks are funny to watch, I don't think popular users should be getting gifts and money off of it when they aren't really helping society. I don't have tiktok because it's a waste of time and it's crazy that so many teenagers use it so often.
ReplyDeleteI agree that TikTok is now apart in most daily routines. I think it is crazy how much people go through just to make a video also how many people have downloaded it. It is so interesting to look at how apps get popular and what we has people find funny these days. A question that I have is do you think more girls spend more time on tiktok or guys?
ReplyDeleteI don't have tik-tok, and don't want to download it. But I think it's pretty interesting to see the amount of people downloading this app all around the world today. I wasn't expecting it to grow so fast. I assume that there are some bad things that involve this app, so what are some of those negative aspects to this app? Making money off of this app is pointless, you can literally do the same thing on Snapchat or Instagram, play music and dance and make no money what so ever.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of TikTok has advanced at such a rapid rate that on almost social media platform. You end up seeing either a reposting from TikTok, a set of memes created from TikTok, etc. In a sense, these creators are becoming the newest You tuber influencers that can create a full career out of just completing specific challenges, following the newest TikTok trends, etc. And the middle age and older generations still think that social media is just something that will end up dieing at some point in the future. But that is not exactly true, it may be that Vine suddenly died and the younger generation who grew up watching vines wants the app to come back to life. Although, look at all of the creators who have multi-million dollars behind there from for example Musical.ly. Jacob Sartorius, Baby Ariel and even more have entered from the world of social media to the world of entertainment as they have started acting, music, and more.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to the title of you blog. I remember this summer when my friends from different states came to town and wanted to make tik tok just rolled my eyes and I said that I would never get the app and make any videos. Later I decided to buy it and quickly started to obsess over this app. I like how there are videos being created that contains humor and is also very relatable to a lot of people.However, I can see the negative aspect to this app because not only teens but also adults and even younger kids use this app. It’s crazy to think that someone spends 16 hours a week on this app and that is just one person. There are so many more people out there that probably spend even more time on this app, which isn't a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteI find it crazy that some creators can make up to $5000 just from one video and can use their likeness to make even more money. It's crazy how digital the world is becoming and how much social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram rely on their creators. Without some famous Instagram users, I bet Instagram would have been shut down like vine and wouldn't have been able to keep up with its outgo.
ReplyDeleteTeens are so obsessed nowadays to become notice and to become famous. They want to live luxurious lives without going through college some even take the path of trying to become a you tuber. There are so many jobs that we all thought we just going to be a fun activity.
ReplyDeleteTik Tok is taking of the world for sure I feel like I'm on it all the time when I have free time. There's always something new when you refresh the page and it's so entertaining. That's crazy how much money they can make off of just one video makes you want to try and get famous so that you can quit your job.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to the phrase "tik tok addict." I know that I spend way too much time i=on this app. I will be laying in bed and say to myself "I'm going to go to bed at 11 tonight," but the I check my phone and it says 1:00 am. I enjoy the app not only because its funny, but people can get really creative with their videos and it's really interesting to watch. I think that it's incredible how fast this app gained popularity, however I'm not surprised. It's a fun way to keep yourself entertained, and it's a fun outlet to have fun with your friends, and even meet more people.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see after reading this blog how Tik Tok can take over our lives. It's crazy how more people are focusing on one social platform and forgetting about all the other ones that were taking up their lives. I am an owner of tik tok and see my friends posting videos hoping to become famous.
ReplyDeleteI was waiting for someone to write about this. I know for sure that I am definitely addicted to this app. Even though it if you think about it, this app is kind of stupid. You can get millions of likes for doing something stupid. Or you can literally get famous for moderately dancing to a song.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting point that you made about how one 16 year old spent 16 hours a week on Tik Tok. However, I think this person may have been an outlier and isn't necessarily appropriate to make an assumption that an entire generation would be as addicted a kid from New York would be. I think you should have done a larger sample and would have made you point more valid.
ReplyDeleteWhile I personally don't use the app, I have many friends that do. They are always talking about the videos or just spending hours watching them. So I definitely agree that it is taking over, to a point.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded Tiktok, than deleted it, because it seemed very cringy and pointless.There are also lots of pedophiles on the app who like watching young teens which is pretty gross.
ReplyDeleteTikTok is an app that has grown immensely over the years. It seems to me still like it came out of nowhere with no warning, popping up out of the blue and suddenly, every teenager is using it. TikTok seems to have taken up a lot of time from teenagers as you mentioned, and I completely agree. There have been instances where I've been at school and seen people making videos for this behemoth that it's become. It's crazy how much of teenagers life it's taken up. I'm wondering where this app will end up in the long wrong however. Will it end up like Instagram and Snapchat? Two apps that have lasted a relatively long time, it's possible that it stays that way or maybe it gets sick and boring fast and people decide to drop it in the coming years. It's hard to say right now where it will end up in 5, 10, or even 20 years.
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