Ample time during lockdowns fuels Tiktok’s popularity across age groups
NEWYORK: This is Tiktok’s time. The social video platform which was already a favourite of teens is increasingly being used by adults looking for ways to pass the time during coronavirus lockdowns. Users post short videos—no longer than 60 seconds but often as short as 15—to showcase their bite-size dance skills or share relatable experiences with a humorous twist.
The application, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, saw 65 million worldwide downloads in March, according to analytics site
Sensortower. In addition to the existing 800 million reported in January by Datareportal, the app is nearing a billion users, though Tiktok itself does not publish such data. And though teens have been posting on the platform for months, it seems adults with more free time—as much of the world is encouraged to stay at home to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus—are finally catching on.
Cecile, stuck at home in Paris with her six- and threeyear-old children, was intrigued when a friend sent her a video. Soon, she had downloaded the app and was posting clips herself.
“I said to myself: ‘Well, this is something funny I could do with the boys to pass the time, if only for fifteen minutes,’” she said. “When I say, ‘Come on, we’re making a video,’ they’re ready to go. It makes them laugh.”
Celebrities have joined the fun too, from Jennifer Lopez to Mariah Carey— even 82-yearold Jane Fonda.
Social media use is up across the board as movement is restricted around the world, but Tiktok—already having a moment before the pandemic—is doing better than the others. Idyllic vacation views and perfectly framed artistic shots—long the markers of the Instagram aesthetic—are currently out of reach for most.
But the typical Tiktok post does not require a beautiful background, explained Thibault Le Ouay, founder of Pentos, a company that helps brands with their marketing strategy on the platform.
“On Tiktok, you do a dance in your own house,” he said, pointing to 15-year-old Charli D’amelio, one of the app’s biggest stars with 46 million subscribers. “She is at home in leggings. It’s not a video of a beach paradise,” he said. “It’s still something you can do at home.”