Brief History
TikTok was created by the Chinese tech company ByteDance and launched in September 2016 as Douyin in China. It was designed to allow users to create and share short videos set to music and other audio clips. In 2017, ByteDance launched TikTok for markets outside of China. TikTok grew rapidly, acquiring Musical.ly in 2017 which had a large userbase in the United States. By 2018, it was one of the most downloaded apps globally (https://www.britannica.com/topic/TikTok).
The founders of TikTok are Zhang Yiming, who founded ByteDance in 2012, and Alex Zhu, an employee at ByteDance who led the creation of TikTok. They designed TikTok to be more focused on short viral videos compared to apps like Snapchat or Instagram. Within a year of launching Douyin in China, it had over 100 million users and 1 billion video views each day (https://www.big3.sg/blog/a-brief-history-of-tiktok-and-its-rise-to-popularity).
Core Features
TikTok’s core feature is its format focused on short-form videos. Videos on TikTok are limited to 3-60 seconds in length. This brevity encourages creativity and engagement. TikTok also provides a robust library of filters and video editing tools like speed changes and transitions so users can stylize their videos.
Some of TikTok’s most popular features include:
- Duets – Users can create collaborative videos by recording alongside someone else’s video.
- Stitch – This tool allows users to clip and integrate scenes from multiple videos.
- Reactions – Users can film reaction videos to other users’ content.
- Green screen effects – TikTok provides templates and tools for overlaying custom backgrounds and environments.
These features facilitate engagement on the platform and allow users to build upon and interact with each other’s content in creative ways.
User Demographics
TikTok has a wide range of users across different age groups and geographic locations. According to Exploding Topics, the largest percentage of TikTok users in the US (25%) are between the ages of 10 and 19. Nearly half (47.4%) of all TikTok users are under 30 years old. The platform is most popular among Generation Z, with 41% of TikTok users between the ages of 16 and 24.
Geographically, a majority of TikTok’s users are located in the Asia Pacific region. As of October 2022, India had the most TikTok users in the world at over 200 million, followed by the United States with over 65 million users according to Backlinko. The US, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, and Germany round out the top 5 countries by user count. TikTok’s growth is global, with users spanning North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia.
Top Content
TikTok is known for its viral trends that take over the platform and spread to mainstream culture. Some of the most popular trends on TikTok include viral dances, lip syncs to trending sounds, and comedy skits or memes. According to TikTok’s Creative Center, current trending sounds include songs like “About Damn Time” by Lizzo and “As It Was” by Harry Styles. Top dances on TikTok right now include choreography to Doja Cat’s “Woman” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Sweetest Pie.”.
Comedy and meme trends are constantly evolving on TikTok. As of January 2024, some of the most viral memes include the “git up challenge,” where users create skits around a popular country song, and videos with the “oh no no no no no” trending sound, showing funny or cringey situations. Other popular formats include outfit and style videos, life hacks, and fun transition videos. Overall, sounds and dances drive many of the biggest trends on TikTok, while sketches and challenges allow creators to put their own spin on trending memes.
Algorithm
The TikTok algorithm is responsible for serving each user a personalized “For You” page (FYP) filled with videos that it predicts they will enjoy and engage with. The algorithm learns about each user’s interests based on their activity on the platform – such as the videos they like, share, comment on, search for, and the accounts they follow. As users continue to interact with content, the algorithm refines its understanding of their preferences.
According to The TikTok Algorithm Explained + Tips to Go Viral, the algorithm looks at each user’s unique combination of interests and fills their FYP with relevant trending and niche content. Factors considered include video information, user interactions, device and account settings. The goal is to offer a tailored feed that feels “magical and infinite.”
The algorithm is constantly updated to improve recommendations. As noted in How TikTok Reads Your Mind, within a few hours the algorithm can detect a wide range of user attributes and preferences to serve hyper-targeted content. This personalization is a key part of what has made the platform so addictive to scroll.
Monetization
TikTok offers creators several ways to monetize their accounts and earn money directly from the platform. The main methods of monetization on TikTok are through its Creator Fund, Tips feature, LIVE subscriptions and gifts, and branded content partnerships.
To be eligible for TikTok’s Creator Fund, creators must be 18 years or older, have at least 10,000 authentic followers, and have accrued at least 10,000 video views in the last 30 days. The fund allows popular creators to earn money based on the engagement and views on their videos. According to TikTok, the Creator Fund will start with $200 million and is expected to grow to over $1 billion in the US in the next 3 years (Source).
The Tips feature allows fans to directly tip creators during LIVE videos. Fans can purchase digital gifts to send to their favorite creators as well. Subscriptions allow fans to pay a monthly fee for exclusive LIVE content and privileges. These features provide another revenue stream for popular influencers on the platform.
Sponsored content and brand partnerships are a major monetization method for influencers. Brands will often pay creators to produce sponsored content that features or highlights their products. According to TikTok, their Branded Mission feature connects brands with creators to produce original sponsored content (Source).
TikTok also provides monetization opportunities through its integrated ecommerce features. Creators can link their TikTok account to ecommerce sites and apps and direct their audience to shop featured products directly via in-app shopping links.
Controversies
TikTok has faced controversy over issues related to privacy, its ties to China, and content moderation. Some of the main concerns include:
Privacy – There have been allegations that TikTok collects large amounts of user data, including browsing history and biometric data, and shares it with the Chinese government. TikTok denies these claims.
China ties – Because ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is based in China, there are fears that the Chinese government could access user data or push propaganda through the app. As a result, multiple countries have considered banning TikTok.
Moderation – Critics argue TikTok’s moderation is inadequate, pointing to instances of illegal, dangerous, or unethical content being shared. TikTok says it is enhancing moderation through additional content reviewers and AI.
TikTok has responded by repeatedly asserting that they store US user data outside China, deny any censorship on behalf of the Chinese government, and are working to improve moderation. However, the controversies have continued as some feel TikTok’s security and content policies are still lackluster.
Impact on Culture
TikTok has had a massive influence on internet culture and pop culture more broadly. Its short-form video format has given rise to numerous viral trends, memes, dances, songs, and challenges that have spread widely across the internet and beyond.
One major way TikTok impacts culture is through viral challenges and dances. Challenges like the ‘In My Feelings’ challenge, the ‘Flip the Switch’ challenge, the ‘Git Up’ dance challenge, and many more, originated on TikTok before spreading to other platforms. These viral challenges engage users and get people joining in on the latest dance or stunt. According to one source, TikTok was responsible for more than half of the top viral dances in 2021 (Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/02/us/tiktok-american-culture-effects-cec/index.html).
TikTok has also popularized many viral memes and sounds. Memes with commonly reused sounds and formats quickly spread and get used creatively by users in their own videos. TikTok memes like the ‘Oh No’ song, the ‘M to the B’ song, and the Simpsons ‘Steamed Hams’ sound have been widely used, mimicked, and spread by users. Source: (https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/new-studies-quantify-tiktoks-growing-impact-on-culture-and-music).
Overall, TikTok has greatly shaped internet culture and influenced pop culture more broadly through the viral spreading of memes, challenges, dances, and sounds on its platform.
Competitors
TikTok has faced growing competition from other social media platforms offering similar short-form video features. Two of the biggest competitors are Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
Instagram Reels allows users to create 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and creative tools. Reels was launched by Instagram in 2020 as a direct competitor to TikTok. According to this analysis, Reels benefits from Instagram’s larger existing user base and the ability to cross-post Reels videos to Instagram Stories and the main Instagram feed. However, some creators believe the algorithm can be less effective at picking up viral trends compared to TikTok.
YouTube Shorts allows users to create 15 second or less short-form vertical videos optimized for mobile devices. As noted in this overview, YouTube already had an established massive audience and creator community, making it well positioned to compete with TikTok in the short-form video space. The integration with the YouTube ecosystem gives creators ways to build audiences across long and short-form content. However, the focus remains more tilted toward amateur and hobbyist creators compared to the thriving influencer ecosystem on TikTok.
Future Outlook
TikTok has massive potential for continued growth in the future. The platform is still relatively new and is quickly gaining users across demographics. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance aims to reach 2 billion monthly active users by 2024, up from about 1 billion currently (Business Insider).
TikTok plans to continue innovating with new features like longer videos, ecommerce capabilities, and augmented reality effects (What’s Next 2024 Trend Report). The app’s algorithm is a key advantage, as it quickly determines user interests and serves up ultra-relevant content.
However, TikTok faces increasing regulatory pressure in the US and abroad. Lawmakers have raised security concerns over data privacy and ties to China. TikTok could see restrictions on acquisitions and its operations if it does not satisfy data security requirements (Reuters). Despite the challenges, TikTok has plenty of room to grow as video-sharing networks become further ingrained in internet culture.
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-revenue-and-usage-statistics#:~:text=TikTok%20has%20about%201%20billion,users%20in%202024%2C%20per%20Bloomberg.
https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/trends-whats-next
https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-opens-national-security-review-tiktoks-sale-oracle-walmart-2022-06-17/
