In The News
TikTok is a unique blend of social media platforms: Here's why kids love it
The combination of video media and the “feed” makes TikTok especially information dense. There’s a lot going on with each tiktok, and there is a never-ending stream of tiktoks.
How TikTok’s algorithm pushed boundaries of mainstream content
TikTok captured a segment of India that was hitherto untouched by social media with its algorithms creating a pathway for content that would otherwise have remained on the fringe.
Instagram, YouTube for ‘big people’: TikTok gave rural Indian women fame, fun and more
“Being on TikTok and seeing all the love I was getting gave me the confidence to keep that going, and also be confident in the real world.” – Archana Arvind Dhormise
How TikTok is giving Facebook a run for its money during India’s Coronavirus lockdown
TikTok has become India’s number one downloaded social media app, during the country’s ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Which means, people in India have been choosing to download TikTok over WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. How that has come to be, is a surprise. But if you ask TikTok, they’d tell you, it’s still business as usual.
TikTok’s India story 2.0: Nurturing creators’ community, brand repositioning byte-by-byte
TikTok India head Nikhil Gandhi outlines the company’s roadmap for its India users.
Expert Opinion
'Much more than Facebook or Twitter or YouTube, TikTok in India had an equalising effect..'
“Much more than Facebook or Twitter or YouTube, TikTok in India had an equalizing effect. It was the online home of small-town Indians with outsized dreams and, if you looked, unforgettable stories. Young men and women from the countryside, in particular, discovered the joys of creativity and, indeed, celebrity on the site. Certainly, nowhere else could a goatherd walking to market lipsyncing to an old Hindi song gather thousands of views.”
– Mihir Swarup Sharma, Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation
'For most Indians, TikTok is a career choice, a path to financial success..'
‘For Indians, TikTok is a mix of “timepass” and creative outlet, but for more and more of them, it is also a career choice, a path to financial success. For TikTok influencers, this is the equivalent of their digital identity and livelihoods demonetisation.’
– Vibhu Arya, Fintech and Consumer Internet specialist via BusinessWorld
'For LGBTQIA community, TikTok was a medium of expression..'
For the LGBTQIA+content and members on the platform, TikTok was more than a video sharing application – it was a medium of expression. For starters, it was a “safe and accessible” space for the community
'TikTok created a truly classless platform for Indians and its lack of pretentiousness attracted middle -India in droves..'
“TikTok created a truly classless platform for Indians and its lack of pretentiousness attracted middle-India in droves. TikTok is an unlikely example of India following Bharat. And Bharat’s latent pride may have been another reason for TikTok’s success. Once more and more people started using TikTok, network effect kicked in to make it even more valuable.”
– Kaushik Prasad, General Manager – Consumer Marketing at Ford via BusinessWorld
'TikTok transcended India's literacy divide to great effect, reaching the country's nooks and crannies..'
“TikTok established the democratic nature of the platform, one that defied conventional boundaries of caste, creed, colour, community, and content in a highly status-conscious India. By being a fully video-based app, TikTok transcended India’s literacy divide to great effect, reaching the country’s nooks and crannies, and giving a voice to hundreds of millions of first-time internet users in Tier II, III, IV, and even V towns. In fact, some of the most interesting trends and hashtag challenges that take the world by the storm actually originated in TikTok India.”
– Sohini Mitter, YourStory
