We are not mistaken if we affirm that , the social network of Chinese origin that allows record, edit and share short videos, will continue to go strong in the coming months (and years). An application fundamentally focused on the new generations, reminiscent of past ones such as Vine (the Twitter application that closed a few years ago), but with the particularity of allowing its users to share short and instant videos, adding animated backgrounds, sound effects and many other visual filters.
But as surely not all of us have in mind what it is, how it works and why it will be key in the future of social networks, in this article we are going to give you a brief summary of its history: the history of TikTok.
What is TikTok, the successful app of Chinese origin
TikTok is one of the mobile applications with the highest number of downloads in recent months. Amazing, right? Well, this is the Chinese app that has adopted the best of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, to merge their strongest points, and place itself among the most used mobile applications, today, by young people and adolescents.
An app where we can find fun looping videos, set with very current music, and with hundreds and hundreds of visual filters to decorate the content of those users who, already immersed in instant messaging, can’t wait a second to share with their colleagues small videos, which began with a duration of less than a minute, but since this year already accepts formats of up to three minutes
Among the most common content on TikTok are music videos -or, sometimes, montages with playback-, but also funny videos with filters, duets between users, challenges and endless other combinations, with immediate and instantaneous effect. In addition, it is increasingly common to also see the . Even organizations such as the United Nations using the platform to arouse interest in really important issues, such as world hunger or global warming, through the promotion of challenges such as
By the way, we also have our own TikTok channel. … and follow us 😉
Bytedance, the origin of the TikTok story
Actually, the history of TikTok is not too long: we must go back to 2016 to mention ByteDance; the Chinese technology company that launched the app in its domestic market What Douyin. It was not until a year later that it was launched in most markets outside mainland China under the name of TikTok.
The app became available worldwide from August 2, 2018, when it was merged with another Chinese social networking service, musical.ly, andspecialized in the creation of videos and live broadcasts, which allowed its users to create videos between 15 and 60 seconds, using different filters, effects and speed options). After this operation, for $1 billionall the accounts of this app migrated to TikTok, making the concept of musers (from Musical.ly who stood out for their creativity on this social network).
During that year it became one of the most downloaded mobile applications in the United States; thanks -in part- to the boost that well-known celebrities made about it; for example, with Jimmy Fallon (a well-known North American comedian), who made special mention of the application during one of his programs.
Thanks to this and many other actions, the app grew more and more. At the end of 2018 it already accumulated more than 80 million downloads in the United States and 800 million in the rest of the world. It was already available in 75 languages ​​and sold in more than 150 markets around the world. A short time later TikTok already had more registered users than Twitter or Snapchat; as well as a number of total downloads worldwide of 1.5 billion.
Also, as expected, other social networks were quick to copy its successful formats, with applications such as Byte, , a feature within Instagram that meets all the requirements to be considered a clone of TikTok; or, of Singaporean origin.
TikTok, the app to beat in 2021
As shown by the latest data provided by the company, TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users in September 2021 and is positioned as fifth most used social network in the world. In addition, it is men who are most interested in this social network, 50.4%, compared to 49.6% who are women.
It is easy to know that the application has made a deep impression among young people, since they are the ones who spend the most time sharing their dances and challenges through short videos of no more than 60 seconds. According to the latest data from the Digital 2021 report, TikTok ranks fifth in the ranking of users’ favorite social networks (4.3%). It is young people between 16 and 24 years old who have chosen TikTok as their favorite platform, being chosen by 9.1% of women and 5.1% of men of those ages.
The platform continues to grow every day both in number of users and in popularity, only in the month of June of this year the app recorded 57 million downloads worldwide (according to Digital 2021 data). Undoubtedly, brands must take this application into account in order to reach TikTok’s large audience, Generation Z, joining current trends and thus creating lasting relationships with their audience.
Thanks to this evolution
TikTok and online sales
But TikTok is also turning towards eCommerce: at the beginning of the year it announced an alliance with Shopify, one of the most popular in the world, to promote the development of businesses and brands within its social network, through the optimization of its advertising strategies. Soon after, the social network that will bring the social network even closer to becoming a platform for eCommerce.
With this new integration, the social network plans to offer a new eCommerce experience to its users, which will come in the form of a new purchase tab. This tab will be a dedicated section in the profile of the brand or businesswhere there will be a drop down list of the products that the seller has available in their Shopify store. From this list, users will be able to click and be taken directly to the website and be able to make your purchase.
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