A New Age Of Entertainment

TikTok is gaining tremendous popularity

From easy to learn dances to humorous roleplay, TikTok offers a variety of entertainment to users. Kids and adults alike have joined in on the trendy app. The app provides an outlet for people to express themselves and have fun along the way. At the top of the charts in the App Store, the platform continues to grow in popularity.

TikTok is similar to other apps that have been popular in the past, so the familiarity of it makes it inviting to a variety of age groups. In fact, TikTok was formerly known as Musical.ly, an app where users could lip-sync to songs, but the name was changed after a buyout.

“TikTok is sort of like a mix between vine and musically, people use a song or sound and make their own video to go with it,” senior Kelsey Steinhoff said. “I think it has become popular because it takes two generations of apps, vine and musically, and mixed it into one.”

The app allows users to see videos from people they follow, as well as on the ‘For You page’, where videos catered towards the user’s likings are filtered to show up on their app.

“The ‘For You Page’ is when people from anywhere can see [your videos] and follow you,” sophomore Madison Alkire said. “I like posting videos and watching other people’s videos on my ‘’For You Page.’”

Since the app allows for creators of all different backgrounds to make videos, new content is always being produced.

“I love that there is always a new video to watch,” Steinhoff said. “It allows people to express themselves by using sounds they like and being creative with how they make the video with special effects or makeup.”

Many songs on the app have become more well known. Some older songs, such as “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey, and newer songs, like “The Git Up” by Blanco Brown, have been used for TikTok dances and gained popularity.

“My favorite trends are the dances because they are really fun to learn even though I can’t dance,” Alkire said. “Some people get really creative with their content and gain a lot of fans from doing it.”

Many apps similar to TikTok that were once as popular are no longer around. Although the app is doing very well now, that does not make its longevity certain.

“I think it will be popular for a while longer but not forever because vine and musically died,” Steinhoff said. “I think it has the same future.”