6 Reasons Why TikTok are So Popular and What You Can do About It
The rise of TikTok was beyond (netizen at least) prediction of its popularity. On every downside, there will always be something or someone who will rise.
And the award goes to TikTok. An app that is underestimated in the beginning.
Facts about TikTok you Should Know
According to the data today here is some facts about this app:
- TikTok users reached 800 million in 2019 and now it is estimated the total users are reaching one billion today.
- TikTok has been downloaded worldwide as much as 1,5 billion downloads.
- The app was originally created by Zhang Yimin from China at the age of 35.
- India is the biggest user which the total number reaches 466 million.
- 173 users are from China, and in the US it reaches 123 million.
- While in my country Indonesia (if you don’t know where Indonesia is, try to search Bali. Bali is inside Indonesia territory), TikTok reaches 30,7 million users.
- The average age of the users is under 34.
- Bytedance the company owner of TikTok now became the most valuable startup in the world by reaching a total value of 75$ million.
Reasons Why TikTok Can Make a Big Hit
Here are some thoughts of mine added up with various sources I get online. Here we go:
1. It Revolutionizes Social Media
I still remember my first Friendster account. Yup, when I first got in touch with online platforms and social media, I’m one of their users back then.
What I can remember is we can add our status, we can customize our front page, put some music on it and write on the wall. Aaah those good old memories.
Until now I still love the old Friendster, maybe it is because of the memories of it. Until it’s gone and here it comes the age of Facebook. After the Facebook era, the technologies and platforms are growing very fast.
There’s a lot of social media that comes and goes. Now I have at least some of the mainstream social media apps like FB, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn. These apps are having their own uniqueness.
But the similarity is, all of these platforms need some inputs from us, and we try our best to have followers as much as we can.
We can feel stressed out if our subscribers and followers are not reaching the exact amount we’ve been targeted at before.
Slowly, especially with generation Z, TikTok made its own market. They don’t demand and engage their users to reach some points of subscribers or followers.
They provide a simple and content-based social media app. You won’t find, Ummm at least you will find it hard to meet any hoaxes or some kind of political debate inside Tiktok.
2. It’s Fun
What TikTok gives is only simple things. Compared with other social media apps, they offer a simple easy-to-edit, and easy way to upload to their platform.
The app is so easy to use and it gives us the room to express ourselves. Especially for the younger generations who always get caught up staring at their smartphones.
Well, it’s debatable because older generations are also staring at their phones today. And this is what I think is the key point.
What do you do when you have nothing to do? You will get bored by watching videos all day long. You want to move, you want to express yourself.
That’s exactly what Tiktok offers.
With so many short templates of songs and short duration, it is really entertaining for many of us. When you have done one video, you can move to another.
But you can also express yourself by using the same song template and add another lip-sync style or expression.
3. You Can Express Yourself
What do you feel after you post on Instagram or Facebook? You will crave likes, followers, and comments. But the comment section seems not fun anymore nowadays.
A lot of anonymous people can type any comment they want towards you. Features like hiding, block or make the account become private have their downside.
When they do verbal bullying, you can’t reach them because they blocked you or they protected their account by changing it into a private account.
But don’t get me wrong, I still use those good ol’ social media. Because I still consider them as the right platform to promote my ideas and writing.
As for the TikTok users, what you only need to do is have fun in front of your gadgets and make your body move.
The tendency for going viral still exists, but you will tend to ignore it and just have fun with yourself or with your friends.
4. Content is the King
One thing that TikTok users do with this app is they can express their creativity into short but intriguing content. If I look into it now, it’s not only people who dance or lip-syncing.
Now it expands into a more wide area such as make-over, makeup tutorial, and do-it-yourself content.
The app kind “forces” the users to be creative as best as they can. But well, they succeed! TikTok users are really creative. They can use a short amount of time while providing solid and also helpful content.
It resembles the characterizations of Generation Z which is sometimes misunderstood as a generation that has a short span of attention.
Now they use the app as their media of expressions in a really short time and they are really good at it.
5. Simplicity
What happens when you open the TikTok app for the first time? Do you have to register first, provide your name, data, email, and then you must verify the email and come back again, etc?
Well nope. If you want to become a TikTok user, you just need to install it and you will step in straight into the content of the app.
All the fun and interesting videos inside will hook you right away. You don’t need to sign up or read a tutorial.
By only watching the content that has been inside the app you will have this feeling of wanting more and curiosity.
If you want to upload your own content the steps are really easy and simple.
6. Cross-Platform Friendly
Another simple but really big step that TikTok takes is the convenience of connecting it with Instagram stories. By doing this, they can reach more and more users and educate non-users about their app.
What do you do when your favorite artist uploads their stories? You want to know what they are using and you will want to make similar uploads like them.
TikTok users are growing because a lot of Instagram influencers are also using TikTok. You will try to find what app they are using. Why do they look so fun using it? And finally, you will try the app to have fun like them.
After that, the domino effects are continuously rolling. Your friends see your stories, and they want to make similar content, and the friends of your friends also see the content. It keeps rolling and rolling.
TikTok Offers All in One Needs in One Place
If we see the app today, we are not seeing only someone or some groups dancing or lip-syncing together.
Now it has become varied by educational, do-it-yourself, traveling, music, photography, humor, anything you search for you can find it there.
The Tiktok users have used this app as their media to express and also promote themselves in a most simple way.
What You Can Do and What is The Benefit You Can Have from TikTok
After all these penetrations of the app and all the success of TikTok, what can you get from it?
If you are a first-timer, you can use it as entertainment media. You can spend your time watching all the silly and funny stuff inside. It is really helpful, especially during this pandemic.
When you feel stressed out, you can seek some kind of short no-nonsense entertainment from the app. There is minimum body shaming, verbal abuse, or bullying inside.
What you are going to see is some people — often strangers — entertaining themselves and you get entertained too.
If you like music, sports, or other content, there’s a lot of good and quality content in it. If you have some favorite artist or musician or actors you can search it on TikTok.
Almost everyone is using it now. You can see the face of your idols without having to pay or subscribe monthly only to see them.
But like other social media, you must use it wisely. Don’t overdo or over consume it. Keep the balance of your life and see the app as your media for entertainment and information purposes.
Because nobody knows what the next big thing will be next year. But the fact is now in the year of TikTok. Don’t hate it or love it too much.
Just enjoy or join the show and see where it goes next.