Regardless of all the criticism thrown at it, TikTok has paved the new way for creators, activists, and, well, simple teenagers.
Being the first huge social media app born outside of Silicon Valley, it has raised the questions of national security and the borders between the US and Chinese Internet. None of this, of course, has taken any toll on its popularity among the kids who discovered what a powerful tool they had on their hands.
Even after all the algorithm controversy and Trump’s ban threats, it has become the most downloaded app of 2020. Let’s take a look at what it has changed in our lives, apart from the way we consume media.
If you are somewhat older than 25, you must think you are too old for TikTok. That is not necessarily true. Just like anything else, this is more a question of mindset rather than age. If you’re not afraid of the Internet and all the chaotic beauty and weirdness it might suck you into, you’ll fit right in with Gen Z. If you are open to exploring all the online personalities TikTok has to offer or if you want to present one yourself, don’t hold yourself back. Nowadays, you can even get free likes on TikTok to boost your confidence while you take the first steps.
Learning, discussing important issues, and being silly are all organic components of the app that come naturally to its target audience. What seems to be most appealing about the app and what makes it stand out among its predecessors is the algorithm that enables each and everyone to find their scene.
What is making it on TikTok like?
Being TikTok famous is distinctively different from being popular on other social media. Unlike Instagram or Youtube, TikTok seems to favor people who are simply being themselves. Most popular users are ordinary people, who are talented, or funny, or creative. There are already things they managed to change, and we can now draw conclusions on what changes we should expect in years to come.
Online activism
TikTok has ingrained itself as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement after promoting it as a trend on the Discover page which ended up in 23 billion views.
Most people seem to forget that in the very start, the #GeorgeFloyd and #BlackLivesMatter had as many as 0 views, which was later explained as a “technical glitch”. Of course, only the fact that the app played a key role in encouraging the youth to fight for their future will be remembered.
It also played a significant role in the anti-Trump movement. Not only TikTokers were responsible for the not-so-great turnout at the ex-President’s Tulsa re-election rally, they also forced his campaign to reset his app’s rating after having attacked it with bad reviews.
The new nature of Internet comedy
The app’s format has already laid out some new rules: you only have 1 minute and you have to engage the viewer right away. But the key change seems to be in the shift to a whole new level of absurdity TikTok has brought on comedy.
As a form of a new space for self-expression TikTok has enabled the creators to neglect the mainstream media formats altogether. The pace has increased and the level of intimacy between the creator and the viewer has risen. As a result, new layers of memes and easter eggs have been laid onto each video.
When asked, many TikTok stars find that, apart from talent or humor, being a nice person is an essential component of “making it”.
The new era of memes
The memes have advanced to a new level as well. Given that the format leaves simple Shrek or Pepe images look unimpressive, it is no surprise that memes now come in form of 3D video edits. Some of them tend to have a rather creepy feel to them, looking like they have emerged from a dark alternative world of chaos. Naturally, most of them did not gain much popularity, sometimes even on TikTok. It seems like their creators could make use of at least 1000 free TikTok likes.
New scene for musicians
Offering an easy way to re-use the sounds from a video, TikTok has given a huge boost to the rise of popularity of musicians of any sort. Whether on purpose or not, many artists have this unique feature to thank for the start of their careers.
One of the perks of the app is that it not only allows you to be seen by different audiences, but it creates a more personal connection between both sides. As all artists also use TikTok to make jokes or answer questions, their viewers get a chance to feel closer to them than ever before.
Another area of TikTok’s influence has turned out to be collaboration. The response and duet features of the app have encouraged a whole new wave of creative collaborations. There is now even a whole TikTok musical based on Pixar’s Ratatouille.
We are all creators now
While YouTube gave us a nudge towards creativity by enabling us to use a camera and a computer, TikTok gave a more direct push by only requiring us to have a phone in our hands. You don’t need any equipment or advanced editing skills, all of this can be found in the app. You create and upload on the go, and the vast amount of content provides you with numerous formats you can use without applying that much creative effort.
The key element, however, is the fact that any of your videos have as many chances of being seen as others, whether you have 10 or 10 000 followers. Feels quite refreshing after receiving 3 likes on your Instagram posts you worked for hours on. If you feel like you are not yet where you want to be on TikTok yet, check out https://Just4fame.com
TikTok has raised many questions about data security, censorship, and the ways we consume media: how we decide what we like and what we look for in media when trying to run away from the real world. If the algorithm does not change drastically in the nearest future, we should expect many fresh media personalities to rise over the years. While other social media continue to give the spotlight to the ones who have been under it for ages, TikTok is a breath of fresh air in the world of creators.
Try it out before it loses its chaotic beauty. And if you want to catch up with the rest, try getting free real likes for TikTok. This might be the start of the greatest online journey you’ll ever take!