Last year, I learned about TikTok after reading about Musical.ly in Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, “Crushing It.” I loved it right away and made some random videos with food that made me laugh. Since then, TikTok has exploded in popularity. Why is it such a fascinating social media app? Check out my thoughts below!
- Right now, TikTok is about fun and creating. Yes there are celebrities, but the regular users in my opinion are way more interesting. It reminds me of Vine and Instagram when they first started. Just people creating and enjoying!
- It feels more like normal life. There are bougie users that get made-up and show off their abs just like Instagram, but there seem to be so many more regular people that get into their videos and find ways to be original or show a new perspective.
- The confines of the app’s framework promote creativity! People create videos using the music clips, dances, hand gestures, etc. in their own environments with their own friends and family. I have watched the same music clips and hand gesture videos made by different people, and it is not boring! I love to see how people are able to come up with new, interesting ways to express themselves in the short videos.
- It is funny! There are so many hilarious creators and videos.
- The app’s set-up catchy but not so time consuming. I like the swipe up functionality. It is not an endless stream exactly, so I tend to use TikTok for a few minutes a day rather than getting sucked into a rabbit hole of two hours like on other social media apps. Something about the movement of the images makes me realize that I am making a choice each time to watch another video so I do not stay on for too long.
- It is diverse. TikTok’s algorithm shows me creators from all over the world and I love this.
- It is an interesting topic to discuss with colleagues and students. Colleagues want to know more about it and students like to discuss certain trends. Such fun!
- I have not noticed much advertising on TikTok. I know this will likely end soon or maybe I am just missing something, but it feels very grassroots…for now.
- The comments! People leave all sorts of hilarious comments on my videos and others. However, the comment section is not very refined and curated like Instagram.
- TikTok inspires me to do things that make me feel good. The unbridled joy you can see again and again in people’s faces when they make a video with a group of friends, or co-workers, or their parents is pure enjoyment to watch. TikTok spreads good vibes!
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Talking Points 