In recent years, the digital application TikTok has developed extremely quickly and gained immense popularity among a global audience. From a relatively inconspicuous application called Musical.ly, used mainly for lip-syncing, TikTok is now a powerful tool for distributing videos and creating trends, which are already being used by other similar platforms.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a video-sharing app that allows users to create and post short video content on any topic. It is primarily designed for mobile devices, but you can also watch TikTok videos on the web. The platform allows users to be creative with their posts using filters, stickers, voices, sound effects, and background music.
In the Chinese market, TikTok operates as a separate app called Douyin, which is one of the most popular in the country. It currently has more than 1.5 billion people using it daily, while TikTok maintains a separate user base from the Chinese version of the software.
History and evolution of TikTok
Before TikTok became what it is today, it was called Musical.ly. It was a type of short-form mobile video app that focused mainly on lip-syncing content, gaining significant popularity at the time. In 2018, the app was acquired by ByteDance , which is when the name Musical.ly was changed to TikTok. Since then, its popularity has skyrocketed.
According to the app’s latest statistics, it has been installed over 3.5 billion times. In addition, TikTok boasts 1 billion monthly active users. This is impressive considering that the platform previously only had around 150 million monthly active users. The significant user growth speaks volumes about the app’s exceptional success and engaging nature.
Moreover, the app is no longer just about music and lip-syncing. Its creators are getting extremely creative with their content, collecting funny sketches and informative videos. However, it can be said that entertainment and dance continue to be the most popular videos on TikTok. In addition, you can now find a huge amount of educational information there, covering topics ranging from health to investments.
Today, the platform continues to grow in terms of features and capabilities. For example, TikTok videos were initially only allowed to be 15 seconds long. The platform has since expanded this limit and now allows up to 10 minutes in length, up from the original 3-minute limit.
Given how it has evolved over time, and especially with the lengthening of video durations, it is expected that TikTok will soon be prepared and programmed to compete with longer video platforms like YouTube.
Here's a quick overview of how the platform has evolved over time since the days of Musical.ly:
2014 – Musical.ly was introduced primarily as a platform for sharing lip syncing/lipsing;
2018 – ByteDance acquires Musical.ly in August and renames it TikTok. It has evolved into more than just lip-syncing software, with dance challenges becoming the latest trend;
2018 – By October, it becomes the most downloaded app on the App Store in the photo and video category;
2021 – TikTok extended the video length to 3 minutes;
2022 – TikTok introduced the ability to upload videos up to 10 minutes long;
2022 – TikTok surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, making it one of the largest social media platforms in the world;
2023 – TikTok reported 150 million monthly active users in Europe.
Why is TikTok so popular?
Yet, what is the secret behind the platform's immense success? Why is it gaining traction so quickly and reaching billions of users worldwide? Let's take a look at some of the main reasons why TikTok is so famous and sought after.
Celebrity support
The app is loved and used by celebrities, such as Jimmy Fallon, who helped boost the platform's popularity. TikTok has paid partnerships with some celebrities in different regions who promote it to local audiences.
Jimmy Fallon's interest in the app was entirely casual, but it was later sponsored by TikTok through a paid partnership. In November 2018, Jimmy Fallon launched a "challenges" section on his show and used TikTok as a platform for his column.
He is urging his viewers to use the hashtag #TumbleweedChallenge and post videos on TikTok of themselves rolling on the ground to the accompaniment of western music. The TV host himself took the initiative to give this trend a boost. The challenge has gone viral and has garnered thousands of entries and millions of interactions. To date, the hashtag has amassed a total of 39.2 million views.
Even today, top celebrities like Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Dwayne Johnson, Taylor Swift, and Lizzo help drive engagement on the platform. Additionally, TikTok also has a slew of influential content creators who have gained popularity primarily through the platform. They have managed to attract millions of followers, helping to further boost its popularity.
Viral trends and challenges
As the challenge started by Jimmy Fallon makes clear, TikTok is a digital place for creating “viral” trends and challenges. Songs, dances, and trendy trends quickly become addictive thanks to this app. Often started by an influencer or celebrity, these trends catch on easily, especially when users share the content on other social media platforms. This leads to new users being drawn to participate or follow the creators they like.
Dance challenges are the most popular on the video platform. They often involve an influencer creating a choreography based on a particular song and then challenging their followers to participate. As more and more people join in, the challenge eventually spreads across the entire platform, leading to the spread of not only the choreography but also the song.
In fact, songs like Laxed (Siren Beat), Say So, Tap In, and Supalonely owe their popularity to TikTok. With the song Laxed alone, TikTok users have created more than 33.9 million videos on the platform.
Easily create, share, and view content
The TikTok app has simplified video creation and sharing to another level. All users need to do is record creative content and post it as soon as possible. Due to the short format, neither the video creation nor the viewing process takes much time or effort.
Furthermore, each short video plays as soon as the user opens the app. The videos start playing one after the other, and the viewer is immersed in a sea of fun, entertaining, and even addictive content. Due to its “contagious” nature, people can very easily continue watching random videos for hours.
On top of that, TikTok offers a wealth of features that make video creation relatively easy. There are a bunch of filters, stickers, video and sound effects, and songs that users can easily incorporate into their videos. The Duet and Stitch features also allow users to easily collaborate with each other or create content based on other users' videos.
Even with viral trends and challenges, users can easily click on the audio used in the video and create their own content with it. This makes it much easier for followers to participate in challenges or follow a new trend. The easier it is to get involved in a trend, the more popular it will become. As these trends now cross over to other social media platforms, they can attract new participants to this trending community.
Key features of TikTok
After all that has been said so far, you're probably still asking yourself: What can you really do with TikTok? What features does the platform boast that make it such a sought-after choice among social media users?
Let's take a look at some of TikTok's main features and capabilities.
Video recording and uploading
The most basic and obvious feature is the ability to record videos directly in the app. You can also upload existing videos from your mobile device's camera roll. Having the flexibility to record or upload your video gives subscribers more creative freedom.
Video editing
TikTok comes with robust editing tools that allow subscribers to express their creative talent through their videos without being limited in their artistry. This includes basic things like cropping and flipping videos, as well as rotating or changing their playback speed.
Filters and effects
One of the best things about the platform is the plethora of filters and effects you can play around with. Beyond the beauty filters that allow you to achieve perfection, it also offers fun stickers and animations that can help your video stand out. This includes AR (Augmented Reality) filters that allow you to change your facial features or add different elements to your video. You can even find a green screen effect that allows you to add any background you want to your videos.
TikTok sounds
Another popular aspect of the app is its huge collection of sounds. It offers a wealth of popular and classic songs that you can add as background music to your video posts. You can also add sound effects that add more substance to your content.
Sound system
One of TikTok's great features is that it allows you to record voiceovers for your posts. This way, you can add narration to a pre-recorded video and get your message across more effectively.
Live video broadcast
TikTok also allows users to broadcast live video streams where creators and their followers can interact in real time. Subscribers can even send gifts to creators while they're live streaming.
Duet
This feature allows users to create a video duet with another user's content. The two videos will play simultaneously, meaning users can actually sing along or perform dances and other stunts together.
Stitch
With this feature, subscribers can stitch their video with another subscriber's video. Unlike a Duet, the Stitched video will play after the original video they stitched it to. It's a great way for users to add comments, follow instructions, react to another creator's video, or answer questions.
Video response
Another useful feature is the ability to create a video in response to a specific comment. With this feature, the comment will be marked as an overlay on your video. This is a great way to answer questions, clarify any doubts, follow up on your audience's requests, or share your opinions.
Businesses on TikTok
From B2B companies to small businesses, many brands are now using TikTok to stand out from the competition. The platform offers a new and creative way to engage your audience. Some of the best ways brands can use TikTok are:
Creating entertaining and informative content
Since entertainment is the number one reason people use TikTok, your brand can stand out if it pushes out highly entertaining content that resonates with its audience. Your brand can also share information in the form of a video post to help educate the audience.
Organizing hashtag challenges
TikTok users love challenges. That’s why many dance challenges have become a hit on the platform. Take advantage of this interest by launching a branded hashtag challenge that will help you generate user content and gain visibility on the platform.
Running ads
TikTok now offers brands the option to run paid ads on the platform. Consider strategically distributing promotions on TikTok to expose your brand to the right audience and attract potential customers.
Partnerships with influential content creators
A common way for brands to market on TikTok is to partner with influential creators on the platform. You can have them promote your hashtag challenge, review your products, Duet or Stitch with you, or feature your brand in their content.
What does the future hold for TikTok?
TikTok, which is rapidly developing with new features and increasing its user base, is set to become one of the best social media platforms in the world. If it continues its development at this pace, it may even overtake platforms like Facebook , Instagram and YouTube, which have dominated the scene for some time and are fighting for the attention of every new user.
