TikTok: A Quick Summary
TikTok has exploded recently and it may feel daunting to have to learn and adapt to a completely new platform. Here’s a quick summary and some of my own takeaways.
What is it?
Simply put: videos. Ranging from anywhere from 15 seconds to 60 seconds, the home page is just a constant stream of short videos. When you have a profile, you’re able to like videos and keep track of them. Based on the content you interact with, it’ll begin to curate a feed personalized towards your interests, aptly called the “For You Page.” TikTok, similar to Instagram and Twitter, utilizes hashtags in an important way. You can search relevant hashtags, and when you create a draft, it’ll actually suggest trending hashtags to use (even if not relevant to your post).
One of the signature features of TikTok is that it allows you to lip-sync with any sound bite. In late 2018, musical.ly was absorbed by the same Chinese company, “ByteDance” that owns TikTok. Lip-syncing is a large part of the app, not just to your favorite song, but also your favorite meme or vine. You can take the sound from literally any video uploaded and use it on your own video. This detail allows for a reinvention of the entire “meme” format. One aspect worth noting (specifically for parents) is that things can go viral fast, and, through features within the app allowing for easy sharing, a short video can circulate quickly through all other forms of social media within a short time. With the amount of teens that use the app, it can potentially be an overwhelming experience should they go viral. As a parent, it may be worth a conversation on the public vs private profiles and the pressures that come from hundreds of thousands to possibly millions of people seeing a video of you.
Another part playing into how a video is shared is a new take on the “reaction video” by creating what is called a “duet.” When you upload a video, you have the ability to deny or grant access to other users to create a duet video. It looks like a split screen where the original video plays next to your content and playing at the same time. It’s features like this that allow for TikTok to have a more interactive and collaborative culture to it.
When it comes to social media learning curves, TikTok is one of the simplest to quickly pick up and understand. Out of all platforms, it requires the least amount of effort in return for entertainment. Even without an account, when you open the app, there is no dashboard or profile. You’re immediately watching videos. Honestly, it’s pretty fun. It’s different from the other platforms for sure, but Kyle and I have actually had a great time laughing. It feels like a nice escape from the comparison and curated feeds that we’re bombarded with.
