Tik-Tok: Why??

Reverend

for king and country
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Jan 20, 2007
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Why did people need a new video app for smart phones that already do video?

I honestly can’t figure out why people are using it. Or what it offers people sichbthat they use it, or any certain types of people use it. Or any of it really.

Little help?
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
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Jul 15, 2005
32,620
Why did people need a new video app for smart phones that already do video?

I honestly can’t figure out why people are using it. Or what it offers people sichbthat they use it, or any certain types of people use it. Or any of it really.

Little help?
People are using it because it’s fun
 

Reverend

for king and country
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Which existing one
My phone has one, doesn’t it?

What does this do that is different besides branding?

Like, I get why people use Telegram. I don’t get what Tik-Tok is about.
 

Reverend

for king and country
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Tik Tok is a social media platform. It’s not a video app. It has nothing to do with your smartphone’s video app.
Thank you.

Why are people using it? Just because it’s new? To migrate away to a new platform that doesn’t have their parents? Etc.?
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
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Thank you.

Why are people using it? Just because it’s new? To migrate away to a new platform that doesn’t have their parents? Etc.?
Yes. Kids show each other something funny on their phones, look cool to their peers, ask where they got it, and download that app so they can use it themselves. It's not any more complicated than that. They don't care what the older kids or parents have installed on their phones, or whether they already have something installed that could accomplish that same task. They just want the funny thing their cooler friend showed them. You want to start a new Facebook clone, just write features for following and sharing, get some critical mass of 13-year-olds to try it simultaneously, and make some content they find amusing to show each other. Social media platforms are only as sticky, it turns out, as the extent to which they are the originating point for the most viral content on the web. If 4chan or SomethingAwful were profit-maximizing businesses, they'd rule the internets.
 

Reverend

for king and country
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Jan 20, 2007
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Yes. Kids show each other something funny on their phones, look cool to their peers, ask where they got it, and download that app so they can use it themselves. It's not any more complicated than that. They don't care what the older kids or parents have installed on their phones, or whether they already have something installed that could accomplish that same task. They just want the funny thing their cooler friend showed them. You want to start a new Facebook clone, just write features for following and sharing, get some critical mass of 13-year-olds to try it simultaneously, and make some content they find amusing to show each other. Social media platforms are only as sticky, it turns out, as the extent to which they are the originating point for the most viral content on the web. If 4chan or SomethingAwful were profit-maximizing businesses, they'd rule the internets.
Thank you. Lots. This makes sense.
 

Traut

lost his degree
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Rev, I love you, brother.

Download the app. It's a nice creative outlet and a lot of fun!
 
Last edited:

Tangled Up In Red

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It also allows kids a lot of freedom of expression, just from its ethos. It isn't rooted in 'curated' perfection, it is based on experimentation - with humor, dance comedy, copy-cat, etc. It is a platform that seemingly affords many the ability to be 'viral', as follower count isn't a requisite to being seen. You can be in anyone's feed (permissions, of course), so long as the alogorthim selects your content.
My dog has 200 views on a video and has no followers.
Fwiw.