Born in China
TikTok’s meteoric rise from a niche video app to a global social media powerhouse has marked one of the most significant shifts in digital entertainment since the advent of social media.
From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities virtually overnight, revolutionizing the traditional path to stardom.
Originally launched in 2016 by Chinese tech company ByteDance as Douyin for the Chinese market, the international version was named TikTok and released in 2017.
Discover the stories of your interest
It gained massive momentum after merging with Musical.ly, a lip-synching app, a year later.
Secret sauce
The secret sauce to the app’s rapid expansion was its innovative recommendation algorithm.
Unlike other social media platforms that primarily show content from accounts users already follow, TikTok’s “For You” page serves content based on viewing habits, engagement patterns and sophisticated content analysis.
This means a video from a complete unknown can reach millions of viewers if the algorithm determines it’s engaging enough.
Its short-form video format has also played a role in keeping users hooked.
Initially limited to uploads of 15 seconds, this was later expanded to accommodate videos up to 10 minutes long. Uploads as long as 60 minutes are currently being tested.
YouTube (with Shorts) and Instagram (with Reels) have chased its success. The TikTok interface of users thumb-scrolling through machine recommended content has been widely duplicated, notably on Elon Musk‘s X (formerly Twitter).
Influencers
TikTok’s signature feature — the ability to easily create, edit and share videos — quickly captured the attention of Generation Z users before spreading to broader demographics.
Its success only grew during the coronavirus pandemic with the world locked at home and desperate for entertainment and shared experience.
By 2021, TikTok had over a billion active users worldwide. It has been downloaded more than three billion times since its creation.
The platform has emerged as a powerful marketing tool and cultural catalyst. Businesses increasingly leverage TikTok for advertising, while creators — or influencers — can monetize their content.
Sell or be banned
TikTok’s rise hasn’t been without controversy, mainly for its Chinese ownership and the site’s built-in unpredictability.
The platform has faced intense scrutiny from governments worldwide, particularly in the United States, over concerns about data privacy and potential ties to the Chinese government, including accusations of spying and acting as a tool of propaganda.
In 2020, India permanently banned TikTok along with other Chinese apps citing national security concerns, while Donald Trump‘s first administration attempted to force a sale of TikTok’s US operations to American companies.
TikTok now faces a January 19 deadline in the US to lose its Chinese ownership or be banned from app stores, though Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay the cut off date as he tries to find an alternative solution.
