Since its release in 2016, TikTok has accumulated over a billion users, meaning that the majority of the civilized world is familiar with the app. TikTok is not only popular in countries like the states, but its allure and spread around the globe. This has resulted in users experiencing content from countries far beyond their knowledge.
TikTok And Their Competition
When TikTok was first released, many users compared the experience to that of a popular “shorts” app titled “Musical.ly”, an app intended to assist users in making short 3-7 second content with a range of music and sounds to match, an easy way to edit music into a video without copyright issues.
The idea was there, but the app just did not take off as TikTok did. In 2016, a larger parent company based in China took over Musically, so when users woke up on August 18th, 2016, they noticed the little red logo had turned into the “TikTok” app overnight.
Most users were confused, but others took to the latest version of their favorite dubbing app, as this latest version offered something Musically didn’t: an online community that was set to reach global parameters.
Fast Moving Success
In just under 5 years, TikTok has now become the blueprint for content creation and consumption. With big names like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook completely changing their user experience to match TikTok. Instagram for example slowly started its transition to the “dubbing” content by introducing Instagram music, giving users the ability to add songs to their stories with the same ease.
This then went on to become “Instagram Reels” an experience much like TikTok, where users can scroll continuously through short clips, that have been edited by the creator to pack as much information as possible.
YouTube, famous for being the platform that users come to take in video content, had to jump on the shorts content train too. They have since introduced “YouTube Shorts”, with an eerily similar format. The big social media conglomerates like Meta and doing everything in their power to stay on top, and have tried to purchase TikTok a number of times.
TikTok has caused the first-ever fall in Facebook users since Facebook’s release, a shocking discovery for shareholders. Facebook has now been deemed a platform for “older” generations, a place to network or be updated on news or information. Instagram is Meta’s latest attempt to keep its grip on younger audiences, and so far, it’s been working.
Quick To Capitalize On Interest
It’s clear to see why TikTok is so popular among younger users. The content is fast-paced, much like the minds of teens. We can see now that content longer than a few sentences, or a few minutes will likely attract an older audience you enjoy playing at rush casino.
Many TikTok and Reels users would rather take in content in hours-long periods but in second-long intervals, instead of watching a YouTube video that is half an hour long. This transition for content creators has been overwhelming, but if your content is aimed at a younger audience this is the reality. So if you have something to say, make sure you can say it in under a minute!
