Don’t get me wrong, I too once had my doubts about the infamous app, TikTok. I assumed that it was filled with the likes of personalities comparable to Jacob Sartorious – lip-syncing the top 40 songs of the week. The constant ads I got before viewing the content I actually wanted to see didn’t help either. For the life of me, I could not understand the hype surrounding this app. I believed it to be intended for those younger than myself and continually wrote it off hoping that the craze surrounding it would be short-lived.
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My life changed the day my sister insisted on showing me some ‘funny TikToks’ from her feed. I shrugged her off because watching one would kind of be like going against everything I stood for. After some back and forth, I gave in; and as you might’ve guessed I experienced a major heart change in those ten minutes. I have no shame in saying it was some of the funniest content I had seen since the days of Vine, the popular and since-deleted video-sharing app.
Courtesy: Giphy
I wondered why I hadn’t allowed myself to explore what TikTok had to offer earlier. Stubbornness? The bitterness I felt at the dissolution of Vine? To TikTok’s credit, it took guts to follow such a beloved app. In concept, it borrowed heavily from its predecessor: users were able to create short videos that could be viewed by anyone. It also didn’t help that Vine set a high bar for comedy online, elevating the sense of humor of millennials and some gen z’s and becoming so apart of the culture to the extent that high schools held Vine-themed days during spirit week, and compilations of the app’s old videos could always be found on the ‘trending’ page of YouTube. But just because Zac Efron and Ryan Gosling don’t look the same, does not mean they aren’t both incredibly good looking. I’ve found that the same goes for comparing TikTok and Vine. While it might have started out as an outlet for 13-year-old boys to make a mockery of themselves with a Shawn Mendes song in the background, it has since become an incredibly relatable platform and delightful way to waste time.
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I know I’m not the only one excited to see TikTok-ers using the app ironically or to joke about their own love life, school day, or pop-culture much like Vine used to do. Yes, a big part of my TikTok conversion has been because it reminds me of what once was. But unique to the app is the inclusivity of its community. On Vine, there were a handful of very popular accounts, and those users’ videos were the ones guaranteed to be on the explore page. I loathed having to scroll past users King Bach, Cameron Dallas, and Brent Rivera to get to the good stuff. In contrast, TikTok grants exposure to individuals who have smaller followings. In my own experience, I’ve seen things on TikTok I never would’ve thought to look up, such as accounts dedicated to lip-syncing country music or ASMR videos. While this isn’t necessarily the content I would curate for myself, it can’t be said that the app is selective in what it features, or that users won’t be able to find something suited to their taste. And honestly, the country lip-syncs are starting to grow on me.
Courtesy: Giphy
At the end of the day, this app is a great way to kill time. Whether you’re mindlessly watching what’s on your feed, or you’ve gone full TikTok and you’re filming yourself doing the choreography to one of the ‘challenge’ videos that’s sure to surface, you’ll find that it’s a procrastination tool like no other. In fact, I missed class entirely due to a TikTok binge last week. As someone who once detested even the mention of the app, I can honestly say that it’s worth the download. Not only can I assure you that all the familiarity of Vine and then some is present, but the content you never knew you needed in your life is sure to be found too if you just give it a chance.
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