TikTok Takeover: How This App is Transforming Mobile Video and Social Media

Feb 16

By Natalie Just

What is TikTok?

“TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.” (TikTok Mission Statement)

Before 2018, if you would have said the words “Tik or Tok”, people would have most likely thought you were referring to time passing by on a clock. Now, when you udder those two syllables, everyone knows you are talking about the hottest app that happens to be what most of us are scrolling on to pass the time. While the app has been circulating since 2018, they didn’t see a spike in downloads until the first quarter of 2020. This just so happens to be the time the whole world was put on lockdown due to the pandemic, and we were all forced to use our phones as our primary source of connection. According to Maria Keseli from Havard Political Review, the app has over 2 billion downloads in April of 2020 alone. The app’s success has also brought about the fame of some fortunate creators like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae and Avani Gregg to name a few.

What is so special about these videos?

"TikTok’s success can simply be attributed to how it flips what we think of as social media on its head, while at the same time returning us all to roots of the original appeal–the ability to go viral.” (John Holdridge, the GM of Fullscreen)

Have you ever wanted a social media platform dedicated to showing you content you know you’d like? TikTok does exactly that with their “For You Page.” Any videos the app’s algorithm finds that meets your interest will show up there! The engineers of TikTok have found a way to consistently deliver relatable content to everyone. And on the creator end of things, TikTok has set up multiple programs and organizations to help their creators reach their target audience. “This structure makes TikTok a more grassroots platform – the app promotes all creators, not just the famous, by giving them all chances on the ‘For You’ page” (Keselj).

The app is also extremely user-friendly. There is no need to film and edit in a separate platform. TikTok allows you to film, edit, add effects and music all within the app. “It’s far easier to edit and upload content in TikTok than in other app such as Instagram or Snapchat” (Kenny Trinh, the managing editor of Netbooknews). Once you have an idea for a video in mind, it is as simple as 1,2,3 to create! First, pick the sound (pro tip: pick something trending to increase your chance of landing on the FYP). Second, film on the app. Don’t forget to take advantage of the timer feature during this part! And lastly, edit and post! When posting, it is suggested to use relevant hashtags that relate to your content, so you can best attract your niche audience.

Who is watching on TikTok?

“TikTok has retained much of its early culture, when it was simply teens having fun” (Keselj).

It’s true, Gen Z rules TikTok. So when a brand is attempting to get in front of the world’s most tech-savvy generation, it is important for them to know how to attract their attention. According to Nathalie Nahai, author of Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion, it is necessary for brands to conduct research prior to working with creators to determine what their audiences scores when it comes to Long-Term Orientation. With Gen Z having an all-time low attention span of 8 seconds, we will categorize them as “short-term oriented.” A few characteristics of a short-term oriented audiences are that they appreciate statistics and facts, as well as being trendsetters. Putting a TikTok in front of them that grabs their attention in the first two to three seconds is key. The next step would be sure to include popular creators in the video. The audience will then associate the product or service with that popular creator/influencer and deem it trendy. Gen Z has a longing to feel included, heard, and unique. Through TikTok’s algorithm, these young adults are able to get their creativity in front of millions of eyes, make genuine connections, and discover brands and creators through an authentic way.