I am not going to lie, I resisted downloading TikTok for the longest time. Working in digital content, I am used to trying out new platforms and technologies, but for some reason, I was not interested in checking them out.
A few weeks ago, I decided to take the TikTok plunge, mainly out of curiosity, but also because a lot of platforms began showing reposts of videos from TikTok. I was basically consuming content found on TikTok without actually being on the platform. After getting an unintentional initial sample of the content, I downloaded the app.
After using the app for some time, I understand why people are gravitating toward it and what it means for social media going forward. The best way to describe TikTok is a blend of traditional social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube and the former 6-second video app Vine. (I still think it was a mistake for Twitter to shut down Vine).
The study Why’s Everyone on TikTok Now? The Algorithmized Self and the Future of Self-Making on Social Media talks about ‘the algorithmized self”, which adapts your feed based on your engagement and interactions with the content on the platform. This creates a feed that is constantly changing and evolving based on your activity on the platform.
All social networks deliver content utilizing an algorithm, but TikTok embraces the algorithm as part of your identity on the platform.
“…on TikTok the user interacts most heavily with the personalized algorithm which repeatedly confronts them with their own personas.”
– Why’s Everyone on TikTok Now? The Algorithmized Self and the Future of Self-Making on Social Media
I also believe that TikTok’s rising success is the feeling of authenticity when both producing and consuming content on the platform. One thing that stood out to me while using the platform was that it felt like I was connecting with real human beings. People provide tips, life hacks, and stories about their lives. It reminds me a lot of Vine and why I think it was so successful.
Interestingly enough, in the study researchers found that people were more interested in consuming the content to stay up-to-date with current trends and memes or watching funny videos than connecting with the content creators.
This is what makes TikTok interesting because while it may fit into traditional digital and social media roles, it also does not. Maybe that is the reason for its success – it can be what you want it to be.
Joe Gullo