October 18, 2019
Millennials may remember TikTok as the 2009 song by Kesha, but Gen-Zers know it as the new hot social media app from Chinese-based company ByteDance. We noticed Jamaicans starting to upload content there, so we thought we should take a look at this very entertaining app.
How it Works
If you were familiar with the now discontinued app Vine, TikTok will feel familiar. Essentially, it is a video streaming site where users create and upload or watch short form mobile videos. It has a time restriction like Vine, with videos on TikTok ranging from 3 to 60 seconds, perhaps inspiring its name. Though you see some, tips, advice and sharing life moments, videos typically are lip-syncing, dance, memes, comedy sketches and performances.
There are also some Internet challenges, often with TikTok music or songs, and mashups that have gained popularity on the platform playing in the background. Quick Tip: If you’re looking for new music, we strongly suggest checking out the TikTok soundtracks. Users can edit the speed of their videos or add filters. A ‘react’ feature video viewers respond by performing a ‘duet’ alongside the original. Users can also interact via comments and messages.
Percolating on other platforms
These days man videos from TikTok are circulating on other social media apps like Twitter and Instagram. TikTok may have started out as a place for the youth of the Internet, but like other social media it is fast growing to include older generations as well. Users note also that like other social media platforms, it can have an addictive quality as its algorithms learn what you want to see based on the videos you like.
While TikTok is still relatively new, it looks like it’s here to stay, at least for now. We can only hope that it continues to be a source of fun and creative videos, and sticks around longer than poor Vine.