TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share short videos. When you create a TikTok account, you have the option to make your account either public or private.
A public account means anyone on TikTok can see your profile information, videos, likes, and comments. A private account limits your content to only people you approve as followers. TikTok’s privacy settings give you control over your account visibility.
Profile Visibility
When your TikTok account is set to public, anyone can view your profile and posts without needing to follow you or having an account themselves. This means complete strangers can see everything you share on your public profile.
According to TikTok’s support article “Choosing between a private or public account,” with a public account “your videos can be seen and interacted with by the entire TikTok community.”
You’ll also notice more profile views showing up in your “Profile view history” when your account is public, since anyone browsing TikTok could come across and view your profile at random. As stated in TikTok’s “Profile view history” support page, “Profile view history shows you the accounts that have visited your TikTok profile.”
Discoverability
One major benefit of making your TikTok account public is that it allows your content to be more easily discovered by others on the platform. According to The TikTok Algorithm Explained + Tips to Go Viral, TikTok’s algorithm is designed to quickly determine the relevance and interest level of videos in order to recommend them to the right users. When your account is private, your videos have less opportunity to enter the main feed where they can be viewed and shared by large audiences.
However, once your account is public, the algorithm can pick up on signals like watches, comments, shares, and engagement to determine your content’s appeal. Videos deemed highly relevant are pushed into the main feeds of a broader range of users most likely to enjoy them. This gives public accounts much more visibility and potential to be discovered and viewed by tons of new followers.
Likes and Followers
Making your TikTok account public makes it much easier to gain more followers and likes on your videos. When your account is set to private, only your approved followers can see your videos to like and comment on them. By making your account public, your videos become visible to all TikTok users, allowing you to reach a much wider audience.
Public accounts tend to gain followers at a faster rate than private accounts. Since anyone can see your content, it’s easier to attract new followers who stumble upon your videos through TikTok’s recommendation algorithm or by searching for content they’re interested in. The more eyes you can get on your videos, the more chances for engagement and for users to hit follow if they like what you post.
In addition, your videos have the potential to go viral when public, bringing huge spikes in followers. This type of explosive growth is very rare for private accounts with limited reach. One study found that going public causes average follower growth to increase by 150%.
Overall, a public account gives you the best opportunity to gain more TikTok followers and likes by allowing you to reach the broadest audience possible.
Comments
When your TikTok account is set to public, anyone can comment on your videos, even if they don’t follow you. This allows your content to reach a wider audience, but it also means opening yourself up to unwanted or negative comments from strangers. According to TikTok’s Community Guidelines, comments should not contain harassment, hate speech, or bullying. However, inappropriate comments still occur, especially on accounts with high visibility.
Public figures may be harassed more often than the average user because they have more exposure, influence, and followers. Research by cyberbullying.org found high rates of harassing comments directed at public figures on TikTok. If you receive abusive comments, you can report or delete them. But with a public account, you will likely have less control over the nature of comments than if your account was private.
Duets and Stiches
One of the unique features of TikTok is the ability for other users to duet or stitch your videos if your account is public. A duet allows another user to record a video side-by-side with your original video, while a stitch strings multiple videos together with transitions and effects. According to TikTok’s help center, “Duet allows you to post your video side-by-side with a video from another creator on TikTok.”
Making your account public allows anyone to duet or stitch your videos if you have the settings enabled. As TikTok explains in their safety tips, “Swipe to the right until you see the button ‘Duet/ React’. Now you can activate or deactivate duetting and reactions for this specific video.” You can control duets and stitches on a per video basis.
Allowing duets and stitches can lead to collaborative creativity, but it also means others may reuse your content without permission. As noted by AdvertiseMint, “No, you can only duet with public videos on TikTok.” So making your account private prevents unwanted duets and stitches.
Sources:
https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/duets
https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/duets-and-reactions-on-tiktok-safety-tips
Downloads and Shares
When your TikTok account is set to public, any video you post can be downloaded or shared by other users. There are third-party apps like 4K Tokkit that allow people to download public TikTok videos without needing your permission. These downloaded videos can then be shared across other platforms, removing them from the original context of TikTok.
Having your videos downloadable makes it easy for them to be saved, reuploaded, or repurposed without your consent. While this can help content spread further, it also relinquishes control over your work. There are benefits in downloads and shares, but also risks regarding ownership and privacy. Consider both sides before making your account public.
Privacy Concerns
Making your TikTok account public means losing control over who sees your content. According to the PBS article, TikTok’s data tracking practices are similar to other social media platforms like Facebook, collecting user information and monitoring activity. With a private account, you get to approve each new follower so your videos stay limited to people you know. But a public profile lets anyone watch, share, and download your videos without consent.
Privacy experts warn about unwanted attention or misuse of content when it’s available publicly on TikTok. The TIME article notes several incidents where private user data was accessed improperly by employees. Making an account public opens up more potential risks since anyone in the world can access your profile and content.
Unwanted Attention
Making your TikTok profile public increases the risk of unwanted attention from strangers on the internet. This could include:
– Harassment or bullying in comments or direct messages. Trolls and cyberbullies often target public accounts to spread negativity (TikTok Safety Guidelines).
– Unwanted contact from strangers trying to form inappropriate relationships or worse. Public profiles are visible to everyone, including people with bad intentions (TikTok Safety Guidelines).
– Stalkers and other predators who can access your location, profile information, videos, and more. This makes it easier for them to track you online and offline.
While most TikTok users are well-intentioned, a public account does increase your exposure to potential harassment, predators, and other unwanted attention. It’s important to use proper privacy settings and be cautious sharing personal information.
Conclusion
In summary, making your TikTok profile public opens it up to a wider audience and increases your chances of gaining more likes, followers, comments and shares. This heightened exposure and interaction can be beneficial for connecting with others, expressing yourself creatively, and building an engaged following.
However, increased visibility also comes with potential downsides, such as unwanted attention, harassment, and privacy concerns. You lose control over who can access your content. Before making your profile public, carefully weigh the risks versus rewards based on your comfort level with sharing personal information and creative works more openly.
Consider starting with a private account and slowly expanding your audience to trusted connections. Enable comment filtering and restrict Duets/Stiches if desired. Periodically review privacy settings and be selective in what you share. With the right precautions, you can unlock the upsides of a public profile while minimizing potential drawbacks.
