This Social Media App is Taking Over our Social Lives

What’s the hype over the app TikTok nowadays? It seems as if every high schooler is obsessing over it. According to Wikipedia, TikTok, which was formerly Musical.ly, is a Chinese iOS and Android social media video app for creating and sharing short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos. The app was launched in 2017 by Chinese developer ByteDance for markets outside of China.  


TikTok is the new substitution for the well-known app “Vine,” which was a short-form video hosting service on which users shared six-second-long, looping video clips according to Wikipedia.

When asked what do you like better, Tess Everett claimed,” I think Vine is way better than TikTok.”

On the other hand, Keystone Oaks junior Riley Frushell said, “I love TikTok, I think it’s better than Vine.”

Students claim that TikTok is a new addiction because the videos are fun to make and are enjoyable to watch. Students claim they spend at least an hour a day scrolling through TikTok.

Taylor Logan, a senior at Keystone Oaks said, “I spend two hours and six minutes on average a day on TikTok.”

The audience of TikTok ranges from adults to elementary school kids. The company that owns TikTok now has one billion users and many are outside China. TikTok has become one of the world's most popular video-sharing platforms.

One thing kids love about TikTok is going “viral” and getting on the “for you” page which means anyone in the world can see what you posted. People begin to follow and like your TikToks after going viral. It notifies the user how many people has viewed their page and who they are. It also shows the user how many times their individual TikTok has been viewed. A few students from Keystone Oaks went viral before. Some students are Marin Williams, Taylor Logan and Tess Everett.

Junior, Tess Everett said going viral didn’t really mean much to her, but, on the other hand, according to Taylor Logan, it “feels good to go viral and is validating.”

Some famous accounts that students from the school like the watch are @charlidamelio, @samhurley, @zoelaverne, @joshrichards, and @avani. These users usually end up on the for you page, causing their videos to get millions of likes.