The origin of TikTok
TikTok was created by the Chinese internet technology company ByteDance. The original version of the app, called Douyin (抖音), was launched in China in September 2016. Douyin was created by ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, a software engineer who founded ByteDance in 2012.
Douyin quickly became popular in China due to its short video format and use of artificial intelligence recommendations. Within a year of its launch, Douyin had over 100 million users and 1 billion video views each day. Given the rapid growth and success of Douyin in China, ByteDance decided to create a global version called TikTok to bring the platform worldwide.
The launch of Douyin in China
The company ByteDance launched the short-form video app Douyin in China in September 2016 under the name A.me. In March 2018, the company renamed the app to Douyin. Douyin gained 100 million monthly active users in its first year of operation in China according to an article by Chinagravy.com (https://chinagravy.com/what-is-douyin-an-introduction/). Unlike the international version of the app known as TikTok, Douyin was created to cater specifically to the Chinese market.
Douyin stood out from other Chinese social video apps of the time by allowing users to record 15 second videos set to music. The app’s machine learning algorithms personalized the For You feed for each user to quickly find viral videos. Douyin became massively popular in China due to its fun features and engaged user community.
The global launch as TikTok
TikTok launched globally under its current name in September 2017, after ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, a similar short-form video app, for $1 billion in November 2017. TikTok merged with Musical.ly in August 2018 to consolidate their user bases, with Musical.ly accounts migrating to TikTok (1).
Initially launched in China as Douyin in September 2016, TikTok was designed to be an international version of the app. While Douyin focused on the Chinese market, TikTok targeted the rest of the world (2).
The TikTok app quickly gained popularity worldwide after its launch. By October 2018, it had become the most downloaded app in the United States (3). As of 2022, TikTok has been downloaded over 3 billion times globally (2).
(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok
(2) https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok
(3) https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-tiktok-4588933
Key people behind TikTok
The founder of TikTok is Zhang Yiming, a Chinese entrepreneur and billionaire. In 2012, Zhang founded the technology company ByteDance in Beijing. ByteDance developed the original Chinese version of TikTok called Douyin, which was launched in September 2016. Douyin quickly became hugely popular in China.
Seeing the success of Douyin in China, Zhang and ByteDance decided to create an international version. This led to the launch of TikTok in 2017. The app quickly caught on worldwide, propelled by ByteDance’s AI technology and Zhang’s strategic vision. As founder and CEO of ByteDance, Zhang has been the driving force behind TikTok’s meteoric rise to become one of the most downloaded apps globally, with over 1 billion active users.
The viral growth of TikTok
Within just a few years of launching, TikTok saw explosive growth around the world. By 2021, TikTok had reached over 1 billion monthly active users globally according to TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024). This made it one of the fastest growing social media platforms in history.
A key part of TikTok’s viral growth was its popularity among younger demographics. As of 2023, TikTok had around 67 million monthly active users in the United States, with approximately 60% between the ages of 16 and 24 according to TikTok Statistics You Need to Know in 2024. The app gave teens and young adults a creative outlet to make and share short videos.
TikTok’s growth was also fueled by its algorithm, which became extremely effective at determining users’ interests and preferences to serve them highly-personalized and engaging content. This helped users easily spend hours scrolling through videos on the app. According to TikTok – Statistics & Facts, monthly time spent on TikTok grew substantially year-over-year across key markets.
TikTok’s fun, entertaining, and addictive nature allowed it to connect with young audiences and spread rapidly. Within just a few years, it had become one of the most downloaded apps globally.
TikTok’s acquisition of Musical.ly
In November 2017, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance acquired rival short video sharing app Musical.ly for around $1 billion to expand its user base globally. Musical.ly was founded in 2014 by Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang and was headquartered in Shanghai and Santa Monica. At the time, Musical.ly had around 60 million monthly active users, 13 million of which were based in the United States. Meanwhile, TikTok (known as Douyin in China) had around 500 million users, most of which were based in China.
After acquiring Musical.ly, ByteDance merged it with TikTok to create one unified video sharing app while keeping both brands. This allowed TikTok to leverage Musical.ly’s user base and growth in Western markets to expand globally. In August 2018, TikTok fully absorbed Musical.ly and all Musical.ly accounts were transferred to TikTok. The merger allowed TikTok to quickly grow its international user base and cement itself as one of the top social video sharing apps globally.
Top features of TikTok
TikTok has become wildly popular due to its fun, easy-to-use features that allow users to create entertaining short videos. Some of the key features that set TikTok apart include:
Short videos – TikTok focuses on short-form videos up to 60 seconds (3 minutes for some accounts). This format allows for easily consumable content.
Filters and effects – TikTok provides a vast array of filters, lenses, and AR effects that users can apply to their videos. These visual effects help make videos more captivating and fun to watch.
Duets – The duet feature allows users to record a video alongside someone else’s video, splicing the clips together side-by-side. Duets open up creative video ideas.
Stitching – With stitching, users can clip together multiple videos, including their own and others’ previously posted videos, to create a longer video up to 60 seconds.
Sounds – TikTok has a huge music and sound library that makes it easy to add songs, audio effects, voiceovers, and more to videos.
Challenges – Challenges go viral on TikTok, with users creating videos based on a common theme or format. Challenges help spread engagement.
Live streaming – The live feature allows broadcasting real-time videos to an audience. It offers another way for creators to engage with followers.
In summary, TikTok makes creating fun, engaging videos highly accessible through its signature collection of robust creative tools.
Controversies surrounding TikTok
TikTok has faced its fair share of controversies since its launch. Some of the main concerns surrounding the app include:
Data privacy concerns
TikTok has faced scrutiny over its data collection practices and concerns that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. TikTok collects a large amount of user data including browsing history, location, and device information (Why Countries Are Trying to Ban TikTok). There are worries that this data could be used to identify, profile and track users.
Censorship
As TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, there are concerns around censorship on the platform. There have been reports of politically sensitive content being blocked or restricted for users based in certain regions.
Addictiveness
Some experts argue that TikTok can be highly addictive due to its powerful algorithm that learns user preferences quickly and serves up personalized content. There are concerns around excessive screen time and negative mental health effects, especially for younger users.
The impact of TikTok
TikTok has had an enormous impact on internet culture and is responsible for launching countless viral trends. As reported by CNN, “TikTok has contributed to the cultural conversation and changed how entire industries operate. It has affected what we eat, watch and buy.”
According to TikTok’s own research, “7 in 10 users believe TikTok communities have the power to create change in culture.” TikTok’s short video format has proven extremely effective at spreading viral content. Dance challenges, songs, memes, and more have rapidly exploded in popularity thanks to TikTok.
As Bryan Marroquin writes, “TikTok has had a significant impact on popular culture, influencing music trends, dance crazes, fashion, and even language.” TikTok has launched the careers of many creators and celebrities. It has also affected product trends and even slang.
Overall, TikTok’s addictive vertical video format has enabled it to shape internet and youth culture like no other social platform. Its impact is likely to continue growing exponentially in the years ahead.
The future of TikTok
As one of the fastest growing social media platforms, TikTok is expected to continue evolving and expanding in the coming years. Some key predictions for TikTok’s future include:
New features and capabilities – TikTok is likely to roll out more advanced features like improved filters, editing tools, AR effects and more immersive user experiences 1. The app may also integrate ecommerce and live streaming functions.
Further expansion in the US – Despite ongoing controversies, TikTok is expected to deepen its presence in the US market. The platform may open fulfillment centers and further localize content 2.
Global growth – As internet access spreads, TikTok is poised for massive growth in developing markets like India, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
More advertising and monetization – TikTok will likely explore additional revenue streams via more in-feed native ads, influencer sponsorships and shopping features.
Competition with rivals – TikTok will continue facing competition from rivals like Instagram Reels. However, its algorithmic prowess and early mover advantage give TikTok an edge.
Overall, TikTok’s future looks bright as it continues innovating with new features and expansion plans to cement itself as a top social media platform worldwide.