Social Listening: Take on Tik-Tok.
For those who remember Vine and that brief encounter with Musical.ly you remember the short looped videos that seemingly ended up defining an entire generation. Creating new platforms to re-invent comedy, pop-stars, music, and visibility for creators. Dying out almost just as fast as they were created, we have now set our sights on another fast growing, highly popular and controversial app that even if you're not using on their platform, you're still finding on others. Tik-Tok, the app for making and sharing short videos. What makes me so interested in it? Before I was a user myself, I felt like I was missing out on a new experience. This app got so big, so fast even when I was going out of my way to ignore it I couldn't find a single platform that I wasn't already finding their videos shared to. Apps burn out when the relevancy just isn't there for you anymore, Facebook has ultimately been labeled as the app for "old people", Instagram is the app for "influencers", so where does that leave people like me who are looking for quick content that is also relevant to my lifestyle, age, and content preferences?
As stated on their website: "TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy." This app has encountered a diverse mix of extreme emotions, good and bad. From the New York Times, "Some users might feel affronted by these assertive new automatic features, which are clearly designed to increase interaction. One might reasonably worry that this trend serves the lowest demands of a brutal attention economy that is revealing tech companies as cynical time-mongers and turning us into mindless drones." Adjusting to an app that is more machine than the man-made system that we're accustomed to can be a steep learning curve for those who are still trying to figure out what a gif is. And the worry is there, at least for me, when I'm using TikTok I am fully aware that the feed alters according to how long my interaction time is on a video, what gets my attention, and what videos I like or save. But that's the catch, when I'm watching videos I like and that demand my attention I could (and do) spend hours mindlessly scrolling from one video to the next.
When you google "what are people saying about TikTok?" you know what you get? I'll show you:
This app highlights the unique qualities that are in other apps we already know and love and used it at an advantage to specifically target a younger set of users. I read this comment on Quora and I think it encompassed a more comical take on what the app is like for most users when they first join. When comparing it to any other app or gaming service, you almost can't. I mean it kind of compares to Snapchat, but not really. But when I read this comment, that it was like Fornite for girls, it made me take a look at my feed, find the similarities, and laugh.
I think the biggest idea that TikTok is trying to promote is that a trend starts with them. Popularity, fame, fortune now relies on a 15-60 second clip that can go viral in a matter of minutes. We've seen the outrage and the outrageousness come from this app and the users that were given that moment of spotlight and where they've ended up today. Buying mansions and producing their own music videos, creating the outlandish fantasy most kids today dream of. This company did something remarkable and now they're milking it for all that they've got. I won't lie, I thought its relevance would have died out by now, but each day that I wake up and get on my "For you" page I'm teased with why it might not be going anywhere anytime soon.
The biggest marketing challenge they are facing today is finding a way to gain, advertise, and appeal to users who are older. With all of the initial controversy surrounding the origins of this app it quickly sealed an almost impossible fate for the boomers and majority of the millenials to want to interact with any aspect of the platform. TikTok never shed light on its debatable beginnings which has ultimately led to that being its major downfall. Even though there was no clarification on whether it was leaving users data vulnerable to future cyber attacks or how they are using and storing user data, that is almost completely drowned out by the sound of another 13 year old dancing to Jason Derulo. The fact is that the users (the 1.8 billion worldwide) are either too young or more interested in swinging their hands around for 30 seconds on a screen for more views than what the rest of the "adult world" can't seem to stop grumbling on about. If it were me, I wouldn't respond either, the attacks from the conspiracy theorists among us seem to lack crucial evidence and until they have it why would I risk placing my platform and business on a chopping block for critics and users worldwide to witness and possibly (or completely) set the app to ruins.
My takeaway from this assignment is to highlight from one of the six rules of outstanding content, rule number 5: it's micro. Think of your content as tiny, unique, nuggets of information, humor, or commentary that can be reimagined everyday as a response to today's culture, conversations, and current events. To my understanding, TikTok did just that, not only do they highlight that well but their platform functionally exhibits all of the six rules in its own unique manner.Links:
https://www.tiktok.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/style/what-is-tik-tok.html
https://fourweekmba.com/tiktok-business-model/#What_is_ByteDance8217s_mission
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+are+people+saying+about+tiktok&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS867US869&oq=what+are+people+saying+about+tiktok&aqs=chrome..69i57.10461j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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