Why TikTok Is Successful

The app, originally named Musical.ly, has been the most talked about app for about two years now. It's known for its video content that details things such as: comedy, cooking, diy's, makeup how-to's, decades, couples, art, animals; you name it, it's on there.

I've had the app for roughly a year now, here is everything I know:

1. Everyone has an equal chance of going viral.

The way the app is set up, any time anyone posts a video it goes to different peoples "For You Pages". This means that if your video has a similar hashtag or its content is similar to someone else's interests it will appear on their screen while you swipe through. The more it's viewed and liked the more people the video will reach via the "For You Page". This makes it easy for anyone to go viral or become "famous". It also ensures that you aren't seeing or hearing from the same four or five people like you would on instagram or twitter; it creates a variety of original content that interests you.

2. It's a fun way to talk to friends.

After downloading the app I have noticed that my friends and I will send each other funny or interesting TikTok videos back and forth just to aid the others boredom, or to break the ice in conversations. The app makes it easy for you to share things by including a link feature, private messages (that can be used to share TikTok videos only and you can only share videos with people who you follow and who follow you back), you can download the videos to your phone, and you can also use a feature called "duet" where you share the screen with the video and can react or add something to the video. Because of these features my friends and I now have tons of inside jokes and reference the videos on a daily basis.

3. It's educational.

Although there's plenty of uneducational content on the app, there are tons of accounts whose sole purpose is to educate and spread awareness of a cause. There are accounts that talk about marine biology, the ecosystem, SAT tutoring, college tips and tricks, makeup, baking and cooking, dealing or managing stress, training your pets, and so on. It also keeps kids and teens in the know with current events because people are always making videos on what is happening right now. Granted many of them are meant to be jokes, a lot of them are actually eye opening and teach people things in a fun way. It's nice to learn cool facts every once in awhile and this app makes it extremely easy to.

4. Schools are beginning to become acclimated with it, and even use it in assingments.

As a junior in high school, I never expected that I'd be making so many TikToks for school projects! My teachers absolutely love this app and because of it's wide variety of content you can use it for virtually anything. I've had to make two tiktoks in my physics class, a tiktok for economics, one in history, and two in my academy dance classes. It's a fun way to show teachers you understand content and an easy way for teachers to make assingments fun.

5. It's a great marketing tactic

While I've only had the app for a year, I have come to realize that many small businesses profit off of the exposure the app gives them. All it takes for a small business to flourish these days is to post a video showcasing their product in an aesthetically pleasing way with pretty music in the background. If said small business posts at least ten videos, one of them is bound to go viral. It's free marketing, and nine times out of ten the business booms. Any entrepeneur would be a fool to not post their product on this app.

6. It is creating our current pop culture trends

Due to the millions of people using the app, our current trends are born on it. Whether its fashion, home decor, or beauty related, most trends come from this app. A perfect example would be VSCO Girls. While the name VSCO was coined from a popular photo editing app, it was popularized on TikTok. The app also created e-girls/e-boys and started many hair dying trends. Because we're all currently in quarantine, the latest trends include: dying your hair at home, cutting your own bangs, making whipped coffee, cutting up tshirts, and painting cow print everywhere.

7. It's shaped a generations sense of humor

The app is most popular amongst the Gen Z kids. Us Gen Z kids have a very particular sense of humor; some people laugh, some people don't. However, it is a great way to get a laugh. From the time traveler trends that went on last year, to the current POV trends that have taken over the app, there is honestly always something funny happening.

8. Kids my age can connect with each other all over the world

The app is available globally which makes it easy to find people within your state, other states, and other countries. Many creators are friends with each other regardless of where they live in; some are even in long distance relationships. It's extremely easy to make friends, but the app is also extremely safe, which leads me to my next point.

9. Safety

The app actually has people contantly filtering through videos making sure they meet "community guidelines", which is essentially a fancy way of saying "app appropriate". Creators have controls they can set on videos as well. They can choose to have comments and filter who they want comments from, they can make videos private, they can make it so that people are unable to save or duet, and they can keep videos between certain friends only. When sending things via private messages, only tiktok videos and texts can be sent; no photos and no outside videos. A person can also only talk to someone they follow who follows them back.

10. It's an easy way for entertainment to become mainstream

When I first downloaded the app the, now popular, broadway musical Beetlejuice was just beginning to get popular. Since then it's become a sought after musical to attend by nearly every teen. The same goes for Heathers (which is no longer being shown), Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Waitress, Bring It On, and Mean Girls. A lot of this music gets used in memes and relatable content which helps it gain exposure. This also goes for musicians like Doja Cat, Freddie Dredd, The Weeknd, Drake, 5 Seconds of Summer, Mac Demarco, and plenty of SoundClound rappers. Many times these songs will get used in a meme or a dance challenge and gain popularity, which boosts sales and also puts an artist who wouldn't normally be in the Top 45, in the Top 45.

I could honestly go on and on about why the app is so successful but I feel like these ten points really some it up. TikTok has evolved from a lip-syncing app to an app loved by teens, teachers, parents, and even celebrities. Many celebrities even make their own tiktoks and connect to fans that way. In closing, the app is easy to use and can definitely take up any and all free time.