Hello reader

TikTok is several things.

For its core audience, the 24-and-below crowd, it’s their safe space, free from their parents who grew up on Facebook, and later invaded Instagram. They dance their way to stardom (some do stunts, some do comedy, some do magic), such as 15-year-old Charli D’Amelio with her 32 million followers, the most-followed on the platform; 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon who choreographed the viral Renegade dance; and of course, Filipino Hannah Balayan whose dance for Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now" has gone viral too. 

For public agencies, it's become a viable avenue for campaigns. The Department of Tourism, for one, is using the platform to address the coronavirus' impact on tourism: 



The World Health Organization also joined recently. 

For Facebook, it’s its current biggest nightmare alongside fine-slapping regulators in the European Union and US presidentiables with potentially similar tendencies. Since TikTok’s September 2016 launch, it’s grown to about a billion users, taking half the time to reach the milestone compared to Instagram and Facebook. (One caveat to the numbers: about 40% of TikTok’s users are in China where Facebook and Instagram are blocked.) 

A few years ago, Snapchat was Facebook’s biggest threat, but they successfully negated that by slapping Snapchat-style “Stories” on Instagram and then later, Facebook. Before Snapchat, Facebook also faced another rival, Instagram, which they solved with...money, acquiring them in 2012. Facebook launched its supposed TikTok-beater Lasso in 2018 in the US but have you even heard of it? (READ: Netizens mock Messenger for new Snapchat-like features)

For marketers, it’s their ticket to the hearts of Gen-Z-ers just like Instagram had been for millennials a few years ago. To which I say, as an aging millennial, “please don’t ignore us, we’ll take whatever it is you’re selling!”

Against the advice of my peers, who so vehemently have defended the virtues of Instagram – as though that were the final stronghold of their youth – I, myself, dabbled in TikTok recently but just observing, not creating, and (I tell myself) for purely journalistic purposes. It’s addictive, and I’ve jotted down some of my notes here on why that may be so:

1. It’s Instagram Stories but your feed is composed of users and videos that TikTok has algorithmically determined will hold your attention. Your feed features a rotating cast of characters and not just your chosen network of friends, so you’re kind of always seeing new things. 

2. It’s a video app that’s really made for mobile unlike YouTube with its desktop roots. Try watching TikTok on desktop; it’s not as addictive. Vice versa, TikTok can hold your attention longer on mobile than YouTube.

3. You can’t skip to a particular time stamp on a TikTok video, so creators can’t afford to create videos with long lulls or droning content.

4. Its video-editing tools are more versatile than any other major social media app out there. The effects are fun, and it’s easy to piece together a video with its press-to-shoot function.

5. You can use real songs in the video. Although ethically, aren’t there copyright issues here? Are artists getting royalties or is the TikTok exposure more important? Artists like Doja Cat and Kesha have actually performed dances for their songs that went viral on the platform, together with the associated TikTok creators.

6. There’s some talented creators out there. There’s also a lot of questionable, annoying, gimmicky content too – and stolen, uncredited content as well – but there’s some pretty creative, fun stuff too. 

There are some things that can’t be overlooked too, when talking about the platform. BuzzFeed has reported on the platform’s sexual predator problem, magnified by the platform’s young audience. The US government has also raised spying concerns because the app is owned by China’s ByteDance, and it doesn't help that it's been caught wiping evidence of Uyghur persecution in China. And some have already tried to exploit it for propaganda. (READ: How TikTok opened a window into China’s police state)

It’s staying, it’s growing; keep an eye out.

– Gelo