Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Why do you Tik Tok?

 

Tik Tok had 61 million downloads in January 2021. 

In terms of usage among teens, Tik Tok has surpassed Instagram and is now the second favorite social media platform for U.S. teens - 69% are regular users.

The most popular content category is entertainment with 443 billon hashtag views, followed by dancing with 150 billion views.

But other categories such as sports and fitness (43 billion) home renovation (29 billion) and fashion (18 billion) are starting to pick up as well. (2021)

This week, NowThis, a mobile news brand partnering with Tik Tok, began airing a live health education series.  Called "Viral" the weekly 45 minute episodes will air on Thursdays at 6 p.m. The series will be hosted by Laurel Bristow, who will discuss Covid-19 issues.  (Schultz, 2021)

 

Meanwhile, Americares, Zambezi and Hallwood Media have joined to create "Wear a Mask" an effort developed to educate and drastically shift the behaviors of apathetic and resistant young adults with regard to Covid-19.  To better connect with the target, the entire creative team for the project is between the ages of 18-34.

 

Hallwood and Zambezi produced an original hip hop track, and Dezirea Saenz was brought in to develop an original dance.  Additional Tik Tok influencers Tallie B., Kara Cannella, Andrew Carrera and Nany Kessey are also encouraging sharing. 

 

Additionally, The Zambezi team created album artwork, digital billboards, banner ads and interactive Snapchat filters. And a new music video is scheduled to be released later this month. (Faw, 2021)

 

And then there's - "books that will make you sob." While its 6 million downloads may pale in comparison to the earlier stats, sales of books are up.   

 

The #songofachilles hashtag has 19 million views on Tik Tok.  The book "The Song of Achilles" is selling about 10,000 copies a week, roughly nine times as many as when it was first released in 2012.  It is now third on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback fiction. 

 

Fees for influencers range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per post.  But free books are one of the perks. (Harris, 2021)

 

So, how do you Tik Tok?  Do you go beyond basic entertainment?  Are you looking for a new workout routine?  Home improvement ideas?  Or perhaps a new book?  What influencers do you follow and why? Do you share content yourself?  Are you hoping to be an influencer?

 

Will you watch NowThis?  How about "Wear a Mask?"  Do you think anyone else will?

 

(2021, March 11) TikTok Statistics – Revenue, Users & Engagement Stats (2021) influencemarketinghub.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-stats/#:~:text=31.-,32.5%25%20of%20U.S.%20Users%20Aged%2010%2D19,aging%20with%20the%20app%2C%20however.

Schultz, R. (2021, April 14)  'Now This,' TikTok Partner On Weekly Covid-19 Series.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2021, fromhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/362346/now-this-tiktok-partner-on-weekly-covid-19-seri.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=122082&hashid=EprW9szuRz-P0Y8JYqr1eg

Faw, L. (2012, April 13)  New TikTok Campaign Attempts To Make Mask Wearing Cool To Kids.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/362297/new-tiktok-campaign-attempts-to-make-mask-wearing.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=122082&hashid=EprW9szuRz-P0Y8JYqr1eg

Harris, E. (2021, March 20)  How Crying on TikTok Sells Books. nytimes.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/books/booktok-tiktok-video.html

 

 

 

8 comments:

Hanjo Mok said...


I used to have a Tik Tok account, but I don’t have this app anymore because I saw news Tik Tok potentially can hack my personal information. When I had this app before, I usually followed some influencers who upload dance videos or funny videos. I did not use it beyond basic entertainment. Besides checking fun stuff, I also made and shared my contents in my account, but there was no reaction from the public at all. Before I made my own content, I thought it would be easy to make Tik Tok videos, but actually, it was not. I had to consider lots of stuff such as clothing, hairstyle, acting, facial expression, music, sense of humor, etc. After trying hard several times to make videos, I realized that my taste is too old and not trendy compared to teenage Tik Tokers. And then I gave up becoming an influencer! :)

-Hanjo Mok-

RichieDoherty said...

I am not a tiktoker, but I view tiktoks when my girlfriend shares them with me. I'm usually not looking for anything in particular besides a good laugh. There are a couple of regular influencers I know she follows because I see them often. They are very funny. I know that several influencers I follow on Instagram post their tiktoks to instagram so I see more comedic options there.

I think it's awesome they are using the platform to influence children into safer and better habits especially in these COVID-19 times. I do worry though that there might be issues in the future when it comes to marketing to children on Tiktok.

Yilun Han said...

Hello
I am not really into Tik Tok though I have an account. I am quite shy and thus have not actually shared any Tik Tok videos of myself but I mainly view what others share. I am generally entertained by some of the lip-sync videos of music or vines as they provide me with a good laugh. I follow a few influencers who give some of the best entertainment but I am not an influencer myself and I don’t share any content. Sometimes I look through the home improvement ideas, learning about various aspects of interior design and décor but that’s about it.
I think I will watch NowThis and “Wear and Mask” because they are positive influences that I would like to share with others to ensure their safety. Other people will definitely watch them because they are important in providing relevant information for the betterment of the society at large.

Marcus said...

I actually do not tik tok at all. In any sort of capacity. Maybe I need to keep up with the times but it just does not appeal to me. I guess if I were to tik tok the books would most appeal to me since I am an avid reader. I mainly enjoy classic novels and philosophy, but I am sure tik tok could assist me in keeping up with new releases. I have seen a few tik tok videos because of my nieces and nephews. The funny videos I enjoy with them but I do not understand the different dances that are done on there. I do not really think becoming a tik tok influencer really appeals to me.

Jiazheng Lin said...

I am a tiktoker definitely. I started to use TikTok in 2017 or even earlier. The app was firstly launched in China. At first, as I recall, there were only some fun 15s videos because there was a limitation of the video time. Some of the videos were even stolen from YouTubers or Weibo. After that, more and more officials of all sorts of brands and individuals started their accounts in TikTok. More information could be reached through the app. We could watch movie reviews, workout tips, math classes, motor shows, sports events, etc. Whatever you want to see can be found in TikTok, which attracts billions of users. As for the start of the covid-19, I was initially learned about this pandemic through Tiktok. I think it is also a great way for governments to spread out important messages through TikTok. Reasons are that: 1. people can quickly view the messages through a 15s video instead of reading a whole report. 2. for those illiteracies, they can also get the key points. 3. the message could be spread out quickly.

Wan Green said...

Unfortunately, I do not watch or post on Tik Tok. My sisters and kids have all been after me for months now, to watch and post. But, with working full-time, school full-time, and a family FULLTIME, who has the time?

Once my spring finals are over, I plan to start watching. And now that I’ve read this blog, I do plan to watch NowThis and Wear a Mask. Since the hashtag views for entertainment on Tik Toc is a whopping 443 Billion, there’s no denying the others will watch NowThis and Wear a Mask.

Kareem said...

I don't Tik Tok, and probably never will. Although, I have friends that share videos with me, which can be entertaining. I have viewed a Tik Tok video that was entertaining and delivered a positive message about Covid19 that I thought was enjoyable.

I don't think I will ever use Tik Tok because it is for teenagers and influencers looking to "make it," and I don't have a connection to either. Having said that, I am open to watching Tik Tok videos that are entertaining and have some sort of value that I can gain from using the platform.

Belle Zhao said...

I do use Tik Tok, but I'm not that big of a fan. Because I think it is addictive and it takes too much of my time so I uninstall the app when I'm too busy. But my friend, Vicky, she's a huge Tik Tok fan. She not only go on Tik Tok everyday, purchase the products Tik Tok famous use, she also got a boyfriend from using Tik Tok. I usually follow fashion influencers because I think I can get good outfit ideas from them. But I'm not hoping to be an influencer because I know it takes a lot of work and time.
I would watch NowThis, it seems like an interesting new idea for me. "Wear a Mask" is actually a good idea to pursue others to wear a mask on street. Even though the vaccine shots are going on right now, but we still need to wear a mask just in case.

Belle Zhao