From Teen to Fame, It's TikTok Time

More than 500 million users worldwide, including a considerable number in India; ranked as the most entertaining app in India by Google Play Awards 2018; one of the most downloaded mobile apps for Apple and Android devices in 2018 in the US and Europe (ahead of YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat); and fully monetized since last month. If you have not heard of TikTok in the past year, then you are obviously not moving in the right "social circles".

Launched in 2016, the popularity of TikTok has increased since its integration with the Musical.ly application in August. . Douyin in China, this video creation and sharing application has become the destination of choice for anyone wishing to create mobile-friendly videos and, increasingly, for those who want to become social media influencers, including Bollywood celebrities such as Shahid Kapoor (563,000 fans, followers on TikTok), Jacqueline Fernandez (3.2 million fans), Tiger Shroff (2.4 million fans), and web creators such as Ahsaas Channa (3.2 million fans) and Avneet Kaur (6.8 million admirers).

But the real stars are teenagers from small towns, sometimes entire families and groups of friends who often go literally to produce videos for a maximum of tastes, with TikTok also on the rise in rural India. It is also useful that this is one of the few applications with no language and region limitations, because most videos do not have dialogues and most of the time there is no written element to read. .

With India tackling what could be called its first. Digital election, TikTok is another social media platform offering eyeballs. TikTok officials at the Chinese headquarters refused to declare their plans for India.

In recent years, many videos of TikTok have also become viral on other platforms of social media such as WhatsApp and YouTube, pushing more Indians to try the app. The #DameTuCosita challenge went viral above the Musical.ly app last year, after celebrities started downloading green extraterrestrial dance videos on other social media platforms. with lip sync and dance and uploads all her videos to Instagram too. "I'm also trying to popularize my YouTube channel, but it will be different from what I'm doing on TikTok," she says.

In 2018, TikTok's #DidiChallenge, which consisted of performing a specific set of movements while dancing for an Algerian song, became the second most popular challenge in India. The song has been viewed over 3 million times on YouTube with a large number of people coming from TikTok.

While a number of TikTok's videos are Madan accurate: "TikTok's n & # 39; has no limit in terms of timing or category. You can express yourself in different ways. "In fact, action videos are at the top of the rankings.

B Subramani, who has been making comedy videos on TikTok for over a year and has more than 270,000 followers, says, "My videos have more action than words, because I believe that gestures transmit more than words. "

Emphasizing TikTok's" light, fun and free "character, unlike other social media platforms, Subramani adds," There is nothing more rewarding than people who enjoy watching and sharing my videos. It motivates me to make more videos and to spread joy.

TikTok recently launched video ads, with Myntra and Shaadi.com being the best players. The innovative format allows users to be part of the advertisements.

Vaibhav Lalwani, who uses the platform for more than a year. wants to become an "influencer" in the field of comedy and "one of the main users of TikTok in India," also highlights this difference. "TikTok is so interesting that there is never a dull day. There is a lot of original and creative content. "

However, not everyone is happy with the content. A Kashmiri preacher recently delivered a sermon on the "negative implications" of TikTok. In a video of the sermon that went viral, the preacher says that his brother who lives in Jalandhar has drawn his attention to the application. "I was embarrbaded by what I saw. This is not a talent. This shows how much grudge is spreading in society. The purpose of the application is to get away from the path of religion, "he explains in the video, before adding that he was particularly shocked by the fact that the girls were dancing and synchronized their songs with songs.