Tik Tok

Hello All! My name is GlorpZorp, but my friends call me Glorpy!

As I have been surfing the internet, I have stumbled upon a new and rising website/application called Tik Tok. Tik Tok is a video-sharing application that is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company founded in 2012. Although the app was launched in 2017 for iOS and Android, it just recently fell into the spotlight and became known to the masses in a positive light. Aside from the funny name that it’s creators have given it, the social media platform has risen in fame so quickly, even after many celebrities said the app was deemed to fail. Some influencers did not support the new platform because of its similarity to an old, insanely popular platform called Vine that was taken off the Appstore. They called it a “rip off” of the original that would never reach the same potential that Vine did. As time passed, however, more and more people began watching the short, funny and witty videos that anyone can post on the platform. The platform rose in popularity as people, mostly teenagers and younger children, began watching, liking, commenting and sharing these videos on other social media platforms. The application is responsible for many viral dance challenges, new viral dance moves and viral music. It is easy to use―even I downloaded it and have made a Tik Tok or two! Being easily accessible to young children has raised Tik Tok’s popularity even more. Little kids are creating quick, easy videos and posting them for the world to see. Gaining popularity as a creator is also incredibly simple that even one video could result in instant fame; there is a custom “for you” page on Tik Tok that is customized to a user’s likes, showing recommended Tik Toks from lesser-known or popular users that have similar content or humor. If a video ends up on a “for you” page, it is almost guaranteed to go viral on Tik Tok. The keyword here, though, is that it will go viral on Tik Tok, and Tik Tok alone. It is so easy to go viral on Tik Tok that there is not really huge respect or honor to Tik Tok “Stars.” They are not given much monetary compensation, either, unless they are paid directly from the audience or from a sponsor, which is incredibly rare on Tik Tok. The app, however, has issues aside from the monetary compensation. Tik Tok attempts to make sure that all of its users are above thirteen, but there is easily accessible mature content that should definitely not be seen by thirteen-year-olds. In addition, it is very easy for even younger children to lie about their age and also access the same content. If the creators could somehow fix this small issue, I think the application would be an absolutely hilarious way to pass time and get ideas for comedic videos. A smart idea that some people have had is getting their small start on Tik Tok, and once they go viral, they start a YouTube channel to gain a larger following and more respect; maybe I can do this and then promote this blog!

written by: GlorpZorp Katawk February 14, 2020 (4:20 a.m.)