When Chinese firm Bytedance acquired teen music lip-syncing platform, musical.ly in 2017, there is no doubt that it had big dreams for the platform. However, it probably didn’t envisage the run-away success that is today’s Tiktok, the platform it was merged into.
The $1 billion acquisition by Bytedance was a bid to expand the Chinese language short video-sharing site, Douyin outside of China which was the plan when Tiktok was created a year earlier in 2016. What followed was that the world has watched tiktok explode into a behemoth of a social media platform.
Just a few short years ago, most online pundits only thumped their noses at tiktok, writing it off as just a platform to share funny videos for teens. Today, most of those same people have regretted not getting their businesses on Tiktok which currently boasts of over 1.5 billion active users worldwide.
One of the major reasons for the astronomical growth of Tiktok is the algorithm. It has this propensity to blow up nobodies into celebrities overnight after just a single compelling post. Even videos that hitherto attracted no views on other platforms easily went viral on TikTok.
Until Tiktok explained how its algorithm works less than two years, a lot of industry watchers weren’t sure about how the platforms chooses what content to go viral. This is because a very famous person could upload content on Tiktok with just few views, while an unknown person could upload similar content and go viral in less than an hour,
According to tiktok, whenever a new video is uploaded, it goes to what is called “For You Page” (FYP). Hence, someone does not need to follow you before seeing your post. In fact, only a tiny fraction of your followers get to see the post in the first instance. The video goes viral when it continues to get engagements on the FYP. Engagements include comments, likes, shares, “favouriting”, and duets. However, engagements are not weighted the same. For example, comments are more important than likes, since it takes more effort to make a comment.
The difference between tiktok and Instagram is that, it is more difficult to grow on Instagram by just being on Instagram and uploading content. This means that before you grow on Instagram, you need to already be a celebrity or face to a point. Instagram posts go to only your friends at default. It takes an Instagram user to go to the explore tab to see other posts and maybe follow the poster. Growth is even much more difficult on youtube.
The uniqueness of the algorithm of TikTok has taken not just so many teens or youths but adults from obscurity to the limelight. Numerous categories of entertainment, education and even news are flourishing on TikTok. It has given a lot of the account holders an opportunity not just to be known worldwide for what they do but an avenue to earn modest income.
The popularity of tiktok has ended up attracting a lot of people and organizations that are unsure of the viability of the social media platform from the get go. Today, some of the biggest showbiz stars, sports clubs and news organizations, have continued to open accounts on tiktoks and announced their presence on tiktok to their numerous follows across other social media platforms.
The reluctance of the big names joining TikTok from the beginning means that a lot of them are now playing catchup to hitherto unknown tiktok stars. Just to try to distinguish between the established stars and those which gained their stardom from Tiktok. The result is that you have very famous names having only a fraction of the followers of what are now known as TikTok celebrities.
Categories on Tiktok include dance, comedy, drama, education, news, health and sports. Some of the biggest football clubs in the world are now getting on TikTok just like some of the biggest actors. Interestingly, they are yet to rack up followers just like the teens and youths who have been doing their thing on Tiktok for some time.
While, Tiktok is still dominated by youths, the older generation are fast measuring up and joining the platform to create so many unique contents. There are many teachers, doctors and nurses right now n Tiktok, as well as motivational speakers.
Since, the way Tiktok works has made it a platform for quick recognition and stardom for individuals, the platform has become an avenue to push accounts on other platforms like youtube and Instagram. TikTok is a whole new community.
KELECHI OKORIE
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