Hydroflasks. Scrunchies. Pucashells. Birkenstocks.

Who would have thought a whole stereotype, known as VSCO girls, would arise from a single app?

TikTok is a new social media platform, formerly known as Musical.ly. The app allows users to share and discover new viral videos. TikTok is one of the world’s fastest growing platforms and has been downloaded more than 1.2 billion times. The company is now worth $75 billion. 

Brandon Babiradzki is the TikTok Market Director at Head Choice Inc. He is responsible for learning the algorithm and studying the statistics concerning the app. 

“Is it going to slow down anytime soon? No. TikTok can double in growth, maybe even more. Instagram is blocked in China, [so] they are missing a huge population. TikTok is a Chinese company. I think it can get bigger because the demographic in China is huge. TikTok goes beyond the American market,” said Babiradzki. 

The app has generated trends and new internet celebrities, it has also brought songs to their peak of fame. But why is Tik Tok the new phenomenon? What makes it appealing to adolescents?

“I started because I wanted to make memes and get clout,” said senior Doug La Bouff. 

La Bouff has earned 3,700 followers and 111,000 likes on the app within a few months and is still growing. 

Although TikTok is  one of the biggest platforms right now, it hasn’t even reached its peak yet. The app has so much more potential and room to expand. 

“Right now Instagram has a billion monthly users and it is mostly just the United States. There are a lot of countries that Instagram is not in. TikTok is in multiple countries with 500 million monthly users. I think TikTok can pass Instagram within the next two years,” said Babiradski. 

TikTok allows users to show their creative side whether it is comedy, art, music, dance, etc. But how do users find inspiration for their videos? 

“I get inspiration from other TikToks and funny moments with my friends,” explained La Bouff. 

There are some users who have a strong fan base with thousands of followers. However, the followers are not the main reason for their viral videos. Getting likes on videos is more effective than followers. But how do users maintain their followers and likes? 

“Are you making good consistent content or are you grasping for trends? The people who are consistent are killing it right now,” explained Babiradzki. 

A majority of TikTok users do not even post videos; they find entertainment by simply watching. 

“It reminds me of Vine. Based on the videos I’ve seen, I think it’s fun, innocent, and goofy,” said Freshmen Literature teacher Pearl Sonnenschein. 

People spend an average of about 52 minutes on the app a day. Thanks to TikTok, many songs have gone viral and have blown up such as Lizzo’s Truth Hurts. The song has been on Billboards Top 100 for six weeks. 

TikTok has brought entertainment to millions of users around the world. The app still has plenty of room to grow. TikTok is available in 154 out of 195 countries in the world.

Only 41 more countries until TikTok dominates. Will it get there? 

Definitely.