You’ve heard of TikTok, you know people use it… but you have no idea what it is. Well, this post explains the app and why it’s growing in popularity.
TikTok is a video-sharing social networking service created by a Chinese company called ByteDance. ByteDance was founded in 2012 and is based in Beijing.
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The app is mainly used on mobile devices. You can also access it on a desktop, but the way it functions is best when used on a phone. Once you download the app, you can either watch other people’s content (aka TikTok videos) or create and share your own content.
You need a profile in order to create content on the platform. You can follow other people’s profiles and people can follow yours. The app will track how many people you follow and how many people follow you. It will also track how many “Likes” you get overall, which means how many people watch and choose to “Like” (or heart) your videos.
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Originally, TikTok was called musical.ly and was known for short music videos. While incorporating music or sound is still a big part of using TikTok, the app has transformed beyond music. People choose to showcase comedy or even life hacks, like tips on how to store vegetables in the fridge.
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The app has come under scrutiny for security measures. In July 2020, ABC News reported “the United States government was considering banning TikTok because it views the hugely popular social media app as a security threat, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo… Pompeo cast TikTok as a security threat, accusing it of sharing users’ data with the Chinese government.”
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