“TikTok will change the way your social media works — even if you’re avoiding it.”
— New York Times
Are you amongst the many TikTok users who, once the app is loaded, can’t seem to stop scrolling? You were just about to relax and watch some TikTok videos to yourself. But in an instant, you had already given into the TikTok World and spent 30 minutes swiping up from one video to another?
Let me tell you… you’re not alone!
I have friends who’ve removed it entirely from their phones just because they were wasting too much time, that’s how ADDICTIVE it is! According to a UK official survey, TikTok has overtaken Television as the preferred form of entertainment for not just teens, but for young and older adults, all around the world.
Young people frequently say “TikTok can read my mind” as the app soon begins delivering videos that are exactly what the viewer was hoping to see: whether it’s a funny cat video, a video of synchronized swimming or a video about applying glitter makeup. An internet cliché that is frequently used is “TikTok knew I was bisexual (or gay, or trans) before I did.”
The hashtag (#TikTokmademebuyit) is a living example of how revolutionary TikTok’s marketing power is. The trending 5.4B views of the hashtag may just look like a line of people recommending products to regular people, however, what it actually means is that the hashtags alone on TikTok are capable of producing action and converting, according to marketers, and for TikTok it wasn’t a tough nut to crack.
Apart from the fun, videos and connections there’s definitely more to the app than what meets the eye. People on TikTok freely share their most traumatic experiences, including but not limited to abuse, assault, and even rape. Others don’t feel as alienated or alone in their experience as they might otherwise, due to the apparent vulnerability displayed by these trauma victims and the fact that it is communicated within 60 seconds. Even though they may not always feel supported in the actual world, those who struggle with anxiety or depression appear to feel supported in the virtual world, and it goes further than that. Doctors are exchanging methods for preventing anxiety and lowering depression. Fitness professionals are disseminating “how-to” videos on exercises and other topics.
The landscape for broadcast television has been drastically altered by the use of this trending application in recent times and no one saw this coming a decade ago. With almost 1 billion monthly active users just six years after its introduction, TikTok — which first gained notoriety as a dance and music social app — is now a vital social platform for not only connecting with youthful audiences but more so for fostering the next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) for good inventors, builders, and content producers.
In today’s world of technology and social media, it is fair to say TikTok has successfully challenged former ways of communication & information sharing, and that we have officially jumped on the social media bandwagon at AI for Good.