TikTok is a short-form video sharing platform owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company. Since launching internationally in 2017, TikTok has become one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world. As of December 2023, TikTok has over 1.6 billion downloads globally on the App Store and Google Play and over 110 million monthly active users in the United States.
TikTok allows users to create and share short videos up to 3 minutes long. Videos range from dancing and comedy skits to educational content across a wide variety of niches. The TikTok algorithm is exceptionally good at determining users’ interests and serving them personalized content.
A unique aspect of TikTok is its duet and stitch features that allow users to collaborate with and build upon each other’s videos. This creates a highly interactive, participatory culture on the platform.
TikTok’s growth has been exponential. According to recent statistics, TikTok had 689 million monthly active users globally in January 2021. Just a year later, it surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in September 2021 and continues to grow rapidly across both developed and emerging markets.
Measuring TikTok Popularity
TikTok allows users to measure popularity through concrete metrics like followers, likes and views. These key metrics offer quantifiable data to compare performance between different TikTok accounts.
Followers show how many users actively subscribe to new content from a particular account. Gaining followers represents building an engaged audience over time. As of January 2023, Charli D’Amelio holds the #1 spot for most TikTok followers at over 150 million (Source).
Likes demonstrate how well received individual TikTok videos are. Higher likes signify content resonating with viewers. Likes help build momentum on the platform through algorithms recommending trending videos. Bella Poarch’s August 2020 lip-sync currently ranks first for most liked TikTok video ever at over 87 million likes (Source).
Views show the total number of times a video plays. This offers a raw count of reach and traffic. Views don’t necessarily mean a video is “good,” but high views signal interest and shareability. Zach King tops the platform with over 13 billion lifetime TikTok views as of January 2023 (Source).
#1 By Followers
According to statistics from Statista https://www.statista.com/topics/11093/tiktok-in-spain/, the TikTok account with the most followers currently is Charli D’Amelio. As of June 2022, Charli D’Amelio had over 142 million followers on the platform. She is a 17-year-old American social media personality who posts dancing and lip-syncing videos. D’Amelio gained fame quickly on TikTok, becoming the first person to reach 100 million followers in November 2020. Her massive following demonstrates her popularity and influence as the current #1 account on TikTok based on total followers.
#1 by Likes
According to SocialBlade.com, the TikTok creator who gets the most likes on average is Bella Poarch. As of February 2023, Bella Poarch has over 8.5 billion total likes across her videos, averaging 13.7 million likes per video. She is known for her viral lip-sync videos like “M to the B,” as well as creative edits and lifestyle content. Though she only joined TikTok in 2020, Bella Poarch quickly amassed a massive following and her relaxing, feel-good videos consistently gain high engagement. Her stratospheric like counts demonstrate her incredible popularity and ability to create extremely shareable content.
#1 by Views
The TikTok creator who gets the most views on their videos is Zach King. According to TikTok Content Creator Statistics, Zach King dominates the list of most-viewed TikToks, with 4 videos in the top 6. His most-viewed TikTok is the “Magic Ride” illusion video, which has over 2 billion views.
Zach King is known for his creative magic and illusion videos that confuse viewers and rack up massive view counts. His unique style of visual trickery and video editing helps make the impossible look real on camera. King combines filmmaking, visual effects and sleight of hand to create his signature viral videos.
Other top creators by views include performers and musicians like Bella Poarch and Lil Nas X. But Zach King remains the undisputed champion when it comes to getting the most eyeballs on TikTok. His innovative illusions dazzle audiences, leading to unprecedented view counts that cement his status as #1 by views.
Fastest Growing
When looking at the fastest growing TikTok accounts, several names stand out for their rapidly increasing follower count. According to Statista [1], the account with the quickest follower growth in 2022 was @khaby00. Khaby Lame is a Senegalese-born TikToker based in Italy who makes comedy videos without speaking. His account grew from 1 million followers in 2020 to over 142 million currently.
Other top rising stars include Bella Poarch, whose account grew from 6 million to 87 million followers, and Addison Rae Easterling, who now has over 86 million followers. Both create lip-sync and dance videos.
While these individual creators dominate fastest growth, @nba and @espn also saw their follower counts balloon in 2022 as they provided sports highlights and coverage. @starwars also joined the top ranks thanks to its steady stream of Star Wars trivia and clips.
When looking at year-over-year growth, these accounts stand out for their incredibly quick accumulation of followers in a short period of time.
Most Popular Niches
Some of the most popular categories or topics of accounts on TikTok include:
Comedy/Humor – Funny videos, sketches, memes, and jokes are incredibly popular on TikTok. Comedic accounts like Tabitha Brown, Khaby Lame, and Brittany Tomlinson attract millions of followers.
Dance – TikTok is filled with talented dancers showcasing their skills through viral dance challenges and original choreography. Top dance accounts include Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Zoi Lerma.
Lifestyle – Accounts sharing fashion, beauty, cooking, fitness, family, and other lifestyle content are hugely popular. Top lifestyle creators include Bella Poarch and Spencer Polanco Knight.
Music – TikTok has launched the careers of many singers and musicians like Lil Huddy and Dixie D’Amelio who share original songs, covers, and music trend participation.
Highest earning
According to GoBankingRates, Charli D’Amelio is one of the highest earning TikTok creators. She reportedly makes about $17.5 million per year from her TikTok partnerships and sponsorships. Addison Rae is another top earner on TikTok, making approximately $8.5 million annually.
Josh Richards is the highest earning male TikTok creator, making around $5 million per year. He posts lip-syncing videos and sponsors various brands. Loren Gray is another high earner on TikTok, with estimated earnings of $4 million per year. She gained popularity by posting singing videos.
In summary, the top earners on TikTok tend to be the creators with the most followers and engagement. Through brand sponsorships, live streaming gifts, and other monetization methods, the highest earning TikTok accounts can make millions of dollars per year.
Controversies
Some of TikTok’s top creators have been involved in controversies that shed light on concerning trends or behavior happening on the platform. For example, two TikTok stars with massive followings, Tony Lopez and Daisy Keech, were accused of sexual misconduct and running a toxic “Hype House” content collective (https://listverse.com/2020/09/25/top-10-tiktok-controversies/).
TikTok’s highest-earning creator, Charli D’Amelio, also faced backlash in 2020 when she complained about not hitting 100 million followers quickly enough. Viewers felt she came across as entitled and spoiled in the video (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tiktoks-controversies-what-does-future-hold-worlds).
Controversies like these raise questions about whether TikTok fame and fortune is enabling irresponsible behavior among top teenage and young adult creators. However, the app remains highly popular despite periodic scandals.
Conclusion
TikTok has rapidly become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among teenagers and young adults. With over 1 billion monthly active users, it’s clear that TikTok is more than just a passing fad.
Some of the top TikTokers today, like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Khaby Lame, have amassed massive followings in the tens or hundreds of millions in a relatively short period of time. Their popularity and influence cannot be understated.
TikTok has proven itself as a launchpad for internet stardom and as a powerful marketing tool. Brands are eager to partner with top creators, and many TikTokers are able to make lucrative careers on the platform through sponsorships, merchandise sales, and other opportunities.
While the top accounts on TikTok may change over time, it’s evident that this short-form video app has become a cultural force and shown no signs of fading. The top TikTokers of today wield immense influence, and TikTok itself has fundamentally reshaped entertainment and marketing for Generation Z.
