What is special about TikTok?

[Ivan Seeking]

I have never used TikTok. Why is this so important to people? These social media platforms are generally short lived in their popularity. Surely other platforms offer similar features?

 

[jedishrfu]

Tiktok is unique in that you can make a raw video and upload it immediately for everyone to see. Some folks upload dances they invented for others to copy. Some copy what they see or comment on videos they see. Filters can be added to enhance or modify the video.

There's a ton of stuff people can do as well as just scrolling through videos. There is no Youtube like interface where videos are briefly described and listed for selection. Instead the user flicks up to get to the next random video.

TikTok also has an easy-to-use bookmark facility to mark a video for later viewing.

When you watch videos, you can swipe left to see the channel and videos, or you can simply select one and start scrolling through them.

There are many YouTubers who post short videos to advertise their YouTube channel. Basically, it's a kind of multi-level marketing platform. People also have businesses selling products.

From what I've seen, the items being sold are either from TEMU or Amazon, with a markup added, and they will drop ship them to you. I did see one example of some toy figures where the TikTok user advertised them as 2 for $10, while on Amazon you could get 6 for $18. My guess is that they were repackaging them and making money along the way.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tiktok is unique in that you can make a raw video and upload it immediately for everyone to see. Some folks upload dances they invented for others to copy. Some copy what they see or comment on videos they see. Filters can be added to enhance or modify the video.

There's a ton of stuff people can do as well as just scrolling through videos. There is no Youtube like interface where videos are briefly described and listed for selection. Instead the user flicks up to get to the next random video.

TikTok also has an easy-to-use bookmark facility to mark a video for later viewing.

When you watch videos, you can swipe left to see the channel anddeos, or you can simply select one and start scrolling through them. explore more vi

There are many YouTubers who post short videos to advertise their YouTube channel. Basically, it's a kind of multi-level marketing platform. People also have businesses selling products.

From what I've seen, the items being sold are either from TEMU or Amazon, with a markup added, and they will drop ship them to you. I did see one example of some toy figures where the TikTok user advertised them as 2 for $10, while on Amazon you could get 6 for $18. My guess is that they were repackaging them and making money along the way.

Very informative! Thank you.

It looks like it's back already. Trump made some promises that put companies at ease.

 

[Hornbein]

I cannot understand why anyone watches TikTok. This explains why nothing I do is ever popular. The more effort I put into it the less popular it is.

 

[jedishrfu]

Yes, TikTok can be addictive and yes there are some truly bad and boring videos and content creators.

One thing you have to get used to is videos split into parts 1, 2, and 3, where the content creator holds back a part or parts or just never posts a follow-up. You've invested the effort to watch it, and then you find there's a cliffhanger, leaving you dangling forever.

Another is movie clips in which the content creator intentionally fails to tell you what movie it is. If you ask, others may tell you, or they may provide a bogus answer.

Still others are stupid math videos that play up the BODMAS or PEMDAS confusion. However, some good math videos, including Howie's and Mr. Trevedi's videos, are fun, and you can really learn something from them.

There are find-the-number videos, which I feel are a waste of time. They show a field with the same number, like 81, and then slip in an 88 or an 18 and want you to find them.

Some prominent YouTubers are also on TikTok, like Veritaseum, who breaks up one of his YouTube videos into parts for TikTok consumption. I like Dan McClellan's videos. Dan is a biblical scholar who debunks other people's videos that promote a false narrative based on mistranslations of biblical texts.

TikTok is like the song from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I cannot understand why anyone watches TikTok. This explains why nothing I do is ever popular. The more effort I put into it the less popular it is.

Nothing sells faster than bs and nonsense. Consider the day for example...

 

[Hornbein]

My junk channel in TikTok format is a hundred times more popular than my art channel that all my effort goes into. Seriously. It was fun for a while to garner approval from the public, but I got tired of posting junk and stopped. I felt I was making the world a worse place.

 

[jedishrfu]

There are many stories about people who knock off a silly song, poem, photo, or video, and it goes viral, making them famous.

What's that saying? One person's junk is another person's treasure.

 

[Hornbein]

OK. Here's my #4 alltime hit. Six thousand views in four days. The most popular vid on my art channel took four years to reach that mark.



A robot decides how popular it will be. I found it about 95% random.

 

[morrobay]

I cannot understand why anyone watches TikTok. This explains why nothing I do is ever popular. The more effort I put into it the less popular it is.

It is entertainment

(Mentor note: removed video link)

 

[symbolipoint]

Tiktok is unique in that you can make a raw video and upload it immediately for everyone to see. Some folks upload dances they invented for others to copy. Some copy what they see or comment on videos they see. Filters can be added to enhance or modify the video.

There's a ton of stuff people can do as well as just scrolling through videos. There is no Youtube like interface where videos are briefly described and listed for selection. Instead the user flicks up to get to the next random video.

Thanks for the description, and comparisons and contrasts. YouTube seems more appealing based on that. YouTube does have "Shorts", but they are less attractive, at least to me.

 

[symbolipoint]

I just now took a look at the main tiktok site. Easier to figure out how YouTube works. Easier to find useful and interesting channels on YouTube. I really like to find the set of video controls, the vid. description, and comments on each YouTube video's page. Other things, too....

 

[Hornbein]

On YouTube I have an art channel and a junk channel. My junk - stuff I made badly in TikTok format - is two hundred times as popular as my art. Being so popular with so little effort was fun for a while but after a month I got fed up with posting junk and quit. I'm baffled as to why anyone watches that stuff

 

[jedishrfu]

It's called Doom Scrolling. It's a popular pastime on the internet and is akin to channel surfing on a TV.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

YouTube shorts have improved a ton. My wife and I have been off TikTok for several months now.

 

[phinds]

According to recent news stories there are a lot of people who make a living by advertising whatever it is they sell or do on TikTok and they are VERY concerned about it going away. I've never looked into it so I know nothing about it but I've seen that reported numerous times in the last few months.

EDIT:

The highest-earning TikTok creator is estimated to be Charli D'Amelio, with earnings reaching $23 million in 2023. Other top earners include Khaby Lame and the D'Amelio sisters (Charli and Dixie).

 

[jedishrfu]

I think a lot of the TikTok merchandise advertised is by people who drop ship goods from Amazon with an added 5% to 10% surcharge or higher. They either do it directly or by ordering it from Amazon and then sending it to the buyer.