TikTok is the new craze that has been taking over, and with us all in isolation, more and more people are starting to jump on the bandwagon – but what is it about this new app that seems to be so popular with people?
If you don’t know what TikTok is, then where have you been? The app was internationally released in 2017 but in recent months it has become an overnight sensation with an estimated 500 million users worldwide. In some ways, it is a resurrection of Vine and Musical.ly considering the video content involved. With TikTok, you can make a 15 second video out of anything, with additional effects including green screen and clone, it makes Vine seem basic compared to what is on offer now.
Alongside the amazing affects it has, you can also include a backing soundtrack to spruce up the video you just produced. With so many backing tracks to pick from, you are spoilt for choice. From these backing tracks, there has been so many music trends that have come from TikTok. For instance, Doja Cat’s Say So and The Box by Roddy Rich.
Not only has the app resulted in the increased popularity of these songs, but the dances that go along with them. There has been endless attempts at these popular dances (no attempts made by me – yet…) as users attempt to become “TikTok famous”.
Not only is there us “normal” people attempting these dances, but many celebrities including the likes of Courtney Cox, Jason Derulo and Millie Bobby Brown have joined the fad, producing thousands of views.
For the minority of TikTokers, there are users who have become famous from the app, some of who are only in their teens. Ones to look out for include Charli D’Amelio aged just 15, Chase Hudson (17), Addison Rae (19) and many more.
Not only are there videos of dances, but many of the videos have become popular memes you might send to your friends, throwbacks you completely forgot about or even videos where there are situations you can relate to. This is a major positive of the app because of the unfamiliar times we live in at the moment, by allowing us to communicate these sorts of videos to each other we can laugh and make some sort of positive out of our situation at the moment.
The only criticism of TikTok to people is it seems to primarily be set towards people aged 25 and below. To any familiar user, this is obvious considering any video that appears on their feed is someone within this age range and tends not to be anyone above 30 – unless users involve their families in videos.
Ultimately, TikTok is fast becoming the most popular social media app worldwide with more and more people using the app everyday and producing their own TikTok videos as they start their journey to become TikTok famous. However, it leaves us to question how long will this trend last? Will TikTok become like any other old social media app and become an everyday app until the next big thing comes along? Or, will it continue to take the world by storm?
By Katie Green
Feature image: Inc.com