The Washington Post recently hired a TikTok expert, Buzzfeed is looking for teens to follow this year’s presidential election on the social network, more and more celebrities (from Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez to Jimmy Fallon) are using it, and companies like Pepsi, Universal Pictures and Skittles are aware of its power. What is TikTok anyway and is it worth paying more attention to it?

There is hardly any social media fan lately who hasn’t heard of TikTok. These are short, dynamic video clips of 15 to 60 seconds long that immediately catch our attention, and all of a sudden we realize we’ve spent hours and hours watching the video content where people are turning the lights on and off with switching clothes while fun music is playing. If we believe that TikTok is one of the many social networks that would quickly be forgotten, the statistics suggest otherwise. The app that truly started to be used in 2018, has beaten Twitter in less than two years by reaching over 800 million monthly users; that is only 200 million less than Instagram. It was downloaded more than 738 million times last year alone.

WHAT IS TIKTOK?

TikTok is a social network for video sharing. Don’t we have YouTube to do that? We do, but we need some knowledge to make a bit better shots, we need editing experience, and above all good ideas. TikTok solves this issue very easily as we get sucked into a countless video clips when opening the app, getting new ideas for new content. As the videos are short, both creating and watching them does not take much time as the video clips can be made right in the app where we find an exceptional library of sounds, songs, sections of our favourite shows or other TikToks. Various filters, effects, stickers, GIFs, transitions from one frame to another and much more can be added to the video. The result is an endless number of ​​footages you probably wouldn’t think of on your own and wouldn’t dare to post anywhere else. The trend of perfection seems to be gone. And that is exactly what the specialty of TikTok is. The objective is no longer to be beautiful or perfect, the objective is to be funny.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK FROM THE FUTURE

TikTok allows everything the other networks do (commenting, following, private messaging, using filters, reporting live), but there is one crucial difference between it and the other giants – TikTok is betting on the future.

TikTok’s idea was to combine the power of artificial intelligence with the growth of the mobile internet and to revolutionize the way we send and receive information. Namely, TikTok has completely adapted to the individual user using the algorithm. When we open the app, there are always the clips waiting – the videos that we might find interesting according to the algorithm. And the choice is endless. Imagine that the whole Instagram is built around the Explore window. Or that Facebook shows you posts by a person before adding the person as a friend. TikTok knows what you find interesting before you know it yourself.

NOT ONLY A LAISURE-TIME APP, BUT A NEW PLATFORM

How can businesses use TikTok? TikTok does not (yet) have room for regular ads, nor does it compete with other social networks in this area. Many companies – which have launched their products with specially designed challenges and competitions – are aware of the fact that more than 800 million people use it on a monthly basis. One of the first companies to connect with TikTok is Guess. Together, they’ve created the #InMyDenim challenge, encouraging users to show off their favourite outfit combinations using jeans; the videos reached over 38 million views providing the brand with a whole new audience. The good news for businesses is also that they have started working on a similar principle as Instagram, as they have allowed users to add links to their video clips, which is a grist to the mill for them.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE LIKE?

The results achieved by TikTok in an extremely short time are remarkable. However, even this does not guarantee that TikTos will follow Facebook or Instagram, but may be struck by the same fate as the very popular, but finally forgotten Vine a few years ago. Certainly, there is a huge possibility of how TikTok can be further upgraded and developed. The users claim that TikTok is not just an app, but a whole new experience.