The new social media platform, TikTok, has exploded in popularity over the past year and spread its influence to many high school students around the world.
TikTok users can post short videos up to a minute long and share them on the app’s For You Page. This page uses algorithms to provide the user with an endless video feed where all 500 million users can check out popular videos.
These videos are filled with TikTok dances, trends, relatable comedy, dark humor, and more. There have been many popular trends on TikTok that have spread their influence across the internet on multiple social media sites, such as “I am Already Tracer” or “Hit or Miss.” Because of trends like these, many users try to create their own viral videos to keep up with the flow.
Many of TikTok’s trends come from its unique video editing and sharing techniques. Users can duet, or collaborate other videos to add their own spice and make chains of viral videos. TikTok’s special video editing allows its users to have videos with effects such as Green Screen or Nose Painter. “TikTok gives its users fun little things to make videos even more interesting,” Junior Seth Good said. “It makes TikTok a really fun and addicting app to use.”
Users can spend hours scrolling through the For You Page and following users’ videos. “It is addicting because there are so many funny videos on the For You,” Sophomore Tanisha Nanisetty said. “I have no reason to stop watching these recommended videos because they will never stop coming.”
TikTok’s appeal to high school students has been the reason for its skyrocketing success. “TikTok is used by many high schoolers because we can all relate to each other and the content posted on the app,” Junior Muskan Basnet said. “TikTok has definitely influenced how I interact with my friends because we know various TikTok references that we can laugh about together because we spend so much time on the app watching, sending, and receiving TikToks.”
The explosion of TikTok in the last year has made it a staple social media platform for many high school students globally, ingraining its viral trends and videos in modern pop culture.
