13th of August 2020
by Beatriz Gomes
Recently, TikTok has gained popularity amongst teens and adults all over the world.
TikTok is a video sharing app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Users can post 15 to 60 seconds videos about any topic, such as dance, arts and crafts, food.
Lockdown led several people from different generations installing the social app. According to Social Films, TikTok had a total of around 115 million downloads worldwide in March 2020, in which over 745,000 were from the UK.
“I was bored at home, and my cousins kept telling me to get it.” Says Leo Ngo, 21, “At first it was a way to be busy, but it taught me so much.” He continues “I learned so many life hacks, DIYs, and cooking recipes. It was the highlight of some of my days.”
Tik Tok also has an impact on music, being that a top song on TikTok is usually also a top song on Spotify. A lot of small musicians get their career launched on TikTok, such as Frances Forever.
“I decided to post my music on TikTok because my girlfriend told me to.” Says UK musician Calypso. The 24-year-old has two TikTok accounts, a goofier account- calypso.sings, where she posts about her music and everyday life shenanigans and another one- sapphicsausages, centred around fashion and sexuality. “We put more effort in these videos, so sapphicsausages usually gets more attention both from the general TikTok audience but also potential sponsors.” Calypso mentions how she doesn’t need to limit herself on TikTok. People look at her music but also at her fashion and queer content. “I think having a TikTok audience is a great incentive for writing but it’s also a huge confidence boost - often a subconscious block for writers is fear that nobody will like your art.” She adds “It's very encouraging and makes me want to make more.”
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