Every social media app has been through its fair share of peaks of popularity throughout the years, but there’s one that seems to be smoking the others in terms of success. TikTok has been on the rise, garnering over 1 billion active users monthly. That’s a massive following considering it’s almost 13% of the world’s population. But the social media platform has left a lot of people wondering what drives its success.
Could it just be because TikTok was invented during the social media era when 58% of the world are already familiar with and using social media? Maybe. But there’s something that the creators at TikTok have figured out that’s helped them claim their popularity. Let’s take a deeper look into what gives the social media platform its addictive qualities.
The TikTok Algorithm
More and more social media platforms have been using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learn about their users’ preferences and to offer them the content they’re looking for. But TikTok seems to be using AI a little differently. As hypothesised by Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, TikTok has realised that people’s interests vary over time. You could be hoarding enough Scoubidou strings to recreate the London Bridge one day and then throwing, or investing, millions of dollars away on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on another day.
This is where the app’s success comes from. Unlike other social media platforms which focus more on creating interest in people, TikTok focuses on content. In the first era of social media, it was more about who you followed. TikTok took a different approach by feeding their users content that they want to see and when they want to see it. They use AI to learn what each user’s interests are even if they continuously change over time.
This technique allows them to hone in on their users’ needs and give them exactly what they want, increasing their merit. A Nielsen study found that 84% of TikTok users say they come across relatable content which shows how well the algorithm works.
Creating communities
Everyone wants a sense of belonging and this is what drives people to TikTok. An average of 59% of users feel TikTok provides them with a sense of community. The social media brand’s algorithm pushes interaction amongst users with similar interests so that they can form communities and niches.
Again, where other platforms focused on making people popular, TikTok focused on making content popular. Users can be a part of different communities like the fashion, cleaning, pet-centric or travel communities. Users keep coming back to feed their need for a community.
Fostering fame
You’ve probably seen a boat load of TikTok trends, and even taken part in some of them yourself. Because of trends, it’s quite easy for your videos to go viral and for you to find success and a bit of fame. So it doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity or a regular Joe, the fame game has a level playing field on TikTok and that’s what draws interest from users.
TikTok is here to stay
TikTok has become an influential platform and has clicked with lots of people worldwide. Its uses are wide and increasing as more brands, businesses and creators join. The unique approach that TikTok has taken has cemented a place in our lives.
