The Era of TikTok

 Growing up our generation has always had some sort of platform allowing for short bursts of videos to be shared. These videos can be anywhere from one- to three- minutes in length. The first app that was revolutionary for our generation was called “Vine.” Vine was an app that is no longer but was used to showcase short video bursts to gain followers and post memes or be creative in your own way. The newest version of Vine is now “TikTok” which I am sure you all have heard of. 

TikTok is a very interesting platform. Media influencers and businesses can place ads on the FYP, the “For you Page”, creators with a large following and those with a small following are all represented equally on the algorithm which is very cool. The TikTok algorithm is unique in how it determines which video(s) to show you next. The algorithm uses hashtags, likes, comments, shares, and overall interactions that you have had with previous Tiktoks to determine what video you will see next. 

An interesting feature of TikTok is the “Following” page the “FYP.” The following page is basically what it sounds like, you will see videos and content that is created by those who you follow on the app. The FYP is a little different and in my opinion the coolest part about the app. The FYP uses the algorithm to show you new videos, but the FYP is full of famous creators as well as starter creators who have just posted their first TikTok. This is my favorite section because I am not limited to just seeing content from my followers and it allows me to see a lot more content!  

Be careful when it comes to scrolling through TikTok because if you are anything like myself or all of those users who made TikTok the most downloaded app in 2020, you will be sucked down the rabbit hole of scrolling for hours on end. In fact, the average time spent on the app is 50-minutes a day.