Tik Tok: Should We Care?

If you have paid any attention to the internet lately you might have heard the name Tik Tok surface around and how fast it is blowing up all throughout social media. This new video app is popular among young adults for making lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos all throughout the world. With the app only releasing in 2016, they already have 1 billion users to this date.

Now if you want to compare that to let's say Instagram, they only have 100 million users. Based on numbers and how fast this application is growing through word of mouth and other social media platforms, it is no doubt that if you have not hopped onto this trend yet, you need to now!

What is so different about Tik Tok?

Compared to other platforms, this is strictly video-based. By having only videos, it shows more content and personality that really lets the viewers see more than what they typically would on other social media outlets. To best understand Tik Tok you must first grasp the history of Vine. Vine essentially pioneered the idea of short videos with content that captivated the audience to want more.

Now when you think about it, 6 seconds is very short but can be just enough to get your point across if you executed it correctly. Vine became popular because of the different and raw content that was being put out and Tik Tok is no different. With its lip-syncing feature, it makes the user more inclined to use the application because of its unique aspects such as camera filters and easy editing that makes creating videos fun to create.

Tik Tok is very successful in implementing the idea of “Fear of Missing Out”. With the trends set out by its content creators, anyone who has not hopped onto the trends is left wondering why they haven't started yet.

The BIG question

As a brand should we care about Tik Tok? There is something about Tik Tok that keeps us wanting more. We may spend hours glued to our phones watching these entertaining skits curled up on our beds but is it all going to waste or is there actually benefit to it all? The answer is YES - but with a catch. Investing your time into a new social media platform can be a rocky road but with the right strategies and luck, it can be your perfect outlet to get your name out there.

Let’s take a look at some of today’s most popular influencers Logan Paul, Lele Pons, and King Bach. What do they all have in common? The answer is Vine. All 3 of these individuals all started on Vine creating videos at home just for fun and now they have created an empire and name for themselves worldwide through these short 6 second videos.

Tik Tok is beginning to look like an ideal place for brands to push out their content. However, here comes the catch. When brands begin to hop onto a platform, it starts to dull out the content and begins to make everything seem like a commercial. Marketers are notorious for ruining a lot of things but with Tik Tok, maybe it can change their way of thinking. 

Whether you want to hop onto Tik Tok for fun or to start putting your name out there, the world is your oyster and the creativity behind these videos can be endless. Unlike Facebook and Instagram where the algorithm strictly shows people you follow and what you might want to see, Tik Tok on the other spectrum focuses more around introducing users to new content. With this strategy, it really gives an equal opportunity to everyone on the platform and is free for all.

The quality of these videos is much lower compared to other social media outlets which, makes it even more compelling to use. This puts less pressure to be ‘perfect’ and gives the users an outlet to be themselves. 

So if you have not been paying attention to Tik Tok you may want to get started…!