How COVID-19 Amplified the Age of TikTok Culture:
According to publications like Forbes Magazine and BBC, amongst similar video sharing apps, TikTok generates “33 times more users than its closest direct competitor.” This in large part has to do with its uniquely young user base, predominately made up of Generation Z and Millennials. Forbes asserts, “Generation Z is fueling the rise of TikTok,” noting how “understanding the relationship between people and platforms is very telling of what to expect of this rising generation.” Generation Z in particular, however, still continues to be the driving force for TikTok’s popularity and growth over the last 5 years. Now with over 689 million TikTok users internationally (monthly), a new generation of content creators has amassed.
“Following on from the era of the YouTube wormhole, TikTok’s algorithm recommends you the content you subconsciously crave — but unlike YouTube, these videos are under a minute long. That means that in one session, you could consume reams and reams of engaging videos — familiarizing yourself with creators, trends, and communities in the process. There is a space for everyone on there — the good, the bad, and the plain bizarre.”
However, due to TikTok’s enormous user base, the ability to access a large and diverse audience based on one’s interest is convenient and adaptable, a great feature. In fact, young entrepreneurs, local business owners, and independent artists have all modified their marketing models to incorporate TikTok content creation.
Chief Brand Officer at LOCKEDBRANDS LLC, Aruni Ellepola, shared that the transition has been overwhelming at times. Ellepola notes that digital marketing has evolved beyond email lists and has shifted the way consumers engage with brands.
“This now forces industries to evaluate how they connect with audiences,” Ellepola says, “and expand the ideas of professional and unprofessional marketing through a more creative lens.”
Yet, TikTok hasn’t just shaped the way small start-ups view the catchy 30-second videos — artists and entrepreneurs have also had to adapt to the new TikTok culture. A culture rewards constant production and trend forecasting, based on video popularity and number of shares/comments. So how does this translate for digital creators?
The music industry for example has adjusted to the weight of TikTok consumerism. Now musical artists can receive royalties from TikTok streams that feature their songs. This allows audiences to feel including by creating lip-sync videos, dance routines, and sound overlays in support of musical artists. Thus, making monetary gain and the possibility of viral visibility only one view away.
Symone Royale, a musician/songwriter in Atlanta expressed the obligation she now feels to constantly be creating content. Sharing that it has been a distraction from the actual craft of making music at times.
Royale says, “with the way technology changes every day, there’s always a new app, platform, or hashtag that business owners or creatives are being told to use in order for their work to be seen”. “It can at times feel as though you’re constantly working to stay up-to-date with platforms, rather than incorporating platforms into your work”.
But the lasting impact of TikTok culture is not just a concern for musical artists or digital influencers. Entrepreneurs are also attempting to amplify their business platform through these digital outlets under the pressure to overproduce or fade into obscurity.
After speaking with Alphonso Lloyd, Founder & CEO and of the clothing brand SEVR based in Houston, it became abundantly clear that the pressure that TikTok enables can be not only draining but creatively stifling. As a new brand, Lloyd shared that it could feel like you’ve failed before ever really getting started. Adding, “sometimes I have to remind myself that social media is a highlight real, rather than an actual depiction of success.” Whether it is owning an Etsy shop, designing hoodies or creating recipe e-books, today’s entrepreneurs have to balance more than just business plan development and inventory.
Still, the TikTok culture has evolved, meaning there is no singular way to approach the platform for guaranteed success. Now while the problem of over-saturation and endless scrolling did not originate with TikTok, it has only been amplified by the isolation from the pandemic and the artificial intelligence (AI) programming in the app.
As TikTok has re-engineered digital consumerism, altering not just entrepreneurial tactics and artistic approaches, but even with digital activism. It becomes a question of overall impact. Not just the impact on creators or consumers, but industries as well. In the same way, we do not yet understand the lingering effects of COVID-19, we don’t yet know how the last effects of TikTok culture will permeate over time.
