You’re wrong. This article is not a reflective journal, emphasizing on the ongoing episodes and repercussions of Covid-19. A rather misleading title used to lure you into discussing a rather ridiculed, light- hearted subject, a youth subculture and modern day rampant- the Tik Tok Epidemic.
Tik Tok is a video sharing app which (ironically) originates from China. Owned by the company Bytedance, this app is infamous among the masses and synonymous to words such as ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘cringe fest.’ However, this app has emerged as the ‘public guilty pleasure,’ becoming the fastest growing social media platform in the world. The addicting app is popular for its short videos featuring memes, dances and lip syncs and has successfully managed to replace Vine for Generation Z. Despite the numerous sour countenances it triggers, it has effectively served as an antidote to cure several people of boredom during quarantine conditions worldwide.
Closely resembling the former app ‘Musical.ly;’ Tik Tok’s parent company, Bytedance, decided to purchase the app as a strategy to advance their reach to US Markets, targeting American teens, which Musical.ly had successfully accomplished doing. Tik Tok currently has over 800 million active users worldwide and was the most downloaded app on the App Store in the year 2019; surpassing social media giants like Instagram, YouTube and Whatsapp.
Since the Corona virus outbreak in February, the app’s screen time has skyrocketed, reaching around 2 billion lifetime installs. People have started incorporating the app into their routines as it acts as their daily dosage of laughter and entertainment. Personally initially unfazed by the app, I have now become its victim, spending an average of 6 hours per week on it.
Tik Tok is a platform for minds to creatively express themselves, for some a mere means of leisure and for others a source of income. The app has also taken significant steps to raise awareness about covid-19 by providing live statistics and displaying precautionary messages. With its memes, trending hashtags and quarantine video diaries, the app has managed to foster a feeling of oneness and positivity under lockdown conditions. As a creator myself, in my opinion, Tik Tok has achieved its aim of connecting people worldwide. In contrary to popular opinion, the app is responsible for quenched boredom and one’s music playlist after all!
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