TikTok, known in China as Dǒuyīn (抖音), is a short-form video sharing platform owned by Beijing-based software company ByteDance. The platform hosts a variety of videos ranging in duration from 15 seconds to ten minutes.note Originally released in China in September 2016 under the name A.me (renamed to Douyin three months later), ByteDance subsequently expanded the app to a worldwide audience with the launch of its international counterpart, TikTok, for download on iOS and Android devices in regions outside of mainland China in September 2017, and later merged it with another similarly structured Chinese video app, Musical.ly (deemed by some users, as TikTok is now, as a Spiritual Successor to Vine), in August 2018.
Initially maintaining a userbase largely consisting of teenagers and young adults, TikTok exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 Pandemic; it quickly became the most used video-sharing app worldwide, surpassing two billion downloads by October 2020. The app's surge in popularity during the pandemic saw its userbase diversify to include older adults, various mainstream celebrities, and social media personalities who gained popularity on other platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, while also being used by traditional media outlets and businesses (from conglomerates to small businesses) to reach a broader audience. The content featured on the app includes pranks, stunts, viral memes, vlogs, dance videos, storytimes, and entertainment and lifestyle content, ranging in quality from one-on-one interpersonal videos to studio-level product.
The app's "For You" landing page (or "FYP") is a curated feed of videos from various creators (most, though not all, of which are those the user may not already follow) that TikTok's content algorithm thinks the viewer will like based on their interests and past interactions. In addition to their videos appearing on the FYP, recent videos from creators that the user follows can be viewed on the "Following" page (users can switch between it and the FYP at the top of the "home" tab) or, if friended by the user, on a dedicated "Friends" tab. (The FYP and Following pages have been part of the app since its inception, while the Friends tab was introduced in 2022.) Users are able to create their own "sounds"note , though other audio material is supplied by various media companies under contract with TikTok, including clips from songs, films and television series as well as royalty-free music, allowing their use in any creator's videos (a stark contrast to platforms like YouTube, whose users have to rely on using royalty-free music in their videos to avoid copyright infringement).
Users can upload their videos on whatever subject they want, unless it violates the app's "Community Guidelines" (a frequent complaint of which is how inconsistently they are enforced, with some videos that don't technically violate said guidelines inadvertently being misflagged as violative content). TikTok has become home to various communities based on a user's interests or identity, including beauty and lifestyle, anime, cosplaying, political and social activism, book enthusiasts and the LGBTQ+ community. Borrowing a concept originated by YouTube creators like David Dobrik and Jake Paul, several of the platform's most popular influencers have lived collectively in content houses (among the most well known being the Hype House, Clubhouse Beverly Hills and Not a Content House) that create videos for the platform.
TikTok has been subject to criticism over its addictive nature (due to the short-form nature of its videos and its algorithm's ability to predict a user's content preferences based on similar activity of other users) and other psychological effects, controversies over censorship, moderation, inappropriate content and misinformation on certain subject matter, and user privacy issues related to its Chinese ownership, resulting in enacted or attempted bans in certain countries (including two separate efforts in 2020 that nearly cut off access in both of its largest markets: an enforced ban by the Indian government that was upheld in court and an attempt in the United States via an executive order by then-President Donald Trump that was blocked in court before being repealed by successor Joe Biden one year later. In December of 2022, a bipartisan bill was unveiled to attempt to ban the app again). In spring of 2024, another bill that would effectively either ban TikTok's operations in the U.S. — or force its sale to an American entity — was signed into law, making Tiktok's fate go up in the air.
Popular TikTokers include:
- Addison Rae
- Andrew Bachelor
- Avenue Beat
- B. Dylan Hollis
- B Mo the Prince
- Brock Baker
- Cafae Latte
- Casual Geographic
- Charli D'Amelio
- DubalC
- Genie
- James Charles
- Jason Derulo
- Fox Szn
- Lele Pons
- Magic By Mikaila
- Malinda Kathleen Reese
- Miniminuteman
- Nicholas Hamilton
- Nick DiGiovanni
- @onefive
- Onevilage
- Plastique Tiara
- Sofia Gomez
- Steven He
- Thomas Sanders
- Tom Cardy
Works originating from Tiktok:
- being Hands
- Feeding Steven
- Hells Belles
- "It's Me, Boy! I'm The PS5!"
- Ratatouille the Musical
- Sandwich Family
- Space Hamster Quartet
- The Shark Puppet
- Unemployed Wine Guy
