The Chinese app TikTok is also becoming increasingly popular in Germany. In the app you can upload videos with a maximum length of 15 seconds. You can add music to these videos so you can sing along or dance. TikTok is aimed primarily at people under 20, but is now used by more and more groups of people. Learn more about the hyped app below.
A few details on the history of TikTok
TikTok was released under the name "DouYin" in September 2016 for the Chinese market. Back then there were two concurrences: Vine and Musical.ly. Seven-second comedy clips could be uploaded to Vine. However, the service was discontinued in January 2017. Musical.ly let users lip-sync videos to popular music. After purchasing Musical.ly in 2017, DouYin and Musical.ly merged to become TikTok. In 2018, TikTok was launched in the format we know today for the western market. Since then, the app's popularity has risen steadily..
How does TikTok work?
Users can post short videos on TikTok. The content is varied and ranges from dances to comedy and mini-tutorials. "Challenges" are also very popular again and again. Here the users have to show a special dance or perform a task. This video is then uploaded, repeated by other users and also uploaded. The TikTok videos are usually very entertaining. There is no end in sight to the video stream: if you have watched a video, you simply have to swipe up to access new content.
You can either scroll through a never-ending stream of videos on the homepage or browse through certain categories and hashtags using "Discover". You don't need your own account to just watch videos. For all other activities, such as liking, commenting and uploading your own videos, you need to register with TikTok free of charge..
If you like a user particularly well, you can also follow them. Some TikTokers are financed through voluntary donations from their "fans". The most popular people on TikTok in Germany include Falco Punch, Anna Catify, Dalia Mya and Enya Wandres. They all only became known through the app.
The app is completely free. It is available for all common smartphones and tablets..
TikTok: The dark side
The app is from a Chinese developer. The suspicion quickly arose that the authoritarian regime there actually had control over the app. There are repeated cases in which certain content has been deleted or banned. All videos related to the protests in Hong Kong were systematically deleted. However, videos of disabled or overweight people should also be hidden from moderators. Allegedly this was done to protect people from bullying.
There was another problem with these banned videos: a "shadow ban" was often used. The user who uploaded the videos will still see the clips as online. However, you cannot be viewed by other users.
TikTok is therefore repeatedly banned in countries and then unlocked again. The ban on TikTok in Pakistan was recently lifted.