- Meerelle Cruz
TikTok's Impact on the Big Five Social Networks
TikTok is the social network of choice for a whole generation today and it even became the most downloaded app in July 2020. Most teenagers can be seen skimming through bite-sized films and participating in video challenges, and this trend has only gotten stronger since the platform's launch half a decade ago. Whether we like or understand TikTok, the social media platform has ushered in new ways for users to produce and share visual content. The hottest content assets are super-short videos and live streaming, which are exploding over the internet.
TikTok has influenced how the Big 5 networks — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube — plan and execute their expansion, in addition to becoming the top network for young people. As a result of the platform's enormous success, they've all created new features to address new trends.
Here's a quick rundown of TikTok's impact and how you may use the network and its trend-setting to help your business.
How TikTok has transformed the way people use social media
TikTok appears to be the ideal venue for young people who are always on their phones. It features short-form videos that last between three and 60 seconds and loop after they've been watched. This makes TikTok extremely scrollable — and flickable — and magnet-like for teenagers and young people who are drawn to dynamic, bite-size, and easily digestible content.
TikTok introduced a whole new bundle of content in addition to the short format: challenges, lip-syncing, dancing, hilarious videos, and magic acts are just a few of the current trends. Sound effects and replies, emojis, special effects, video reactions to posted content, and other interactive aspects make the site particularly appealing to users.
These elements, combined with an algorithm that makes it easier for a post to go viral, have propelled TikTok to the forefront of social media trends. The platform's climb to renown continues with its concentration on localized content and easy sharing, which has made it so popular with Generation Z and Alpha. TikTok has also created the ideal environment for various sorts of influence to flourish, such as product reviews and suggestions, which have influenced the marketing strategies of major cosmetics businesses such as Clinique. And, therefore, the success of TikTok has influenced the development of the other major social networks, as they all want to ride the fresh wave of new trends.
Each of the major social media platforms has adopted the trend toward more video, shorter content, and a more engaging and visual approach in general.
Let's take a look at some of the TikTok-inspired features that the main networks have rolled out.
Facebook could be the platform that has suffered the most as a result of TikTok's introduction. It has developed a variety of features to correspond to the most recent trends among younger generations, which are also gaining traction among many other internet users.
Live streaming, video playlists, and series are the most well-known. The social media behemoth has also unveiled the Creator Studio, which allows users to manage all of their Facebook Pages in one spot.
Instagram has launched interactive features such as Video, Stories, and Live, which coincide with other social media platforms' initiatives to place a greater emphasis on visual and dynamic content.
Reels, on the other hand, is undoubtedly the most advertised feature in this approach. In the summer of 2020, it was released. Reels allows people to make and view short, entertaining videos. They can be made up of many 30-second snippets.
Video has long been a popular medium on Twitter, but TikTok's expanding popularity has prompted the platform to invest even more in that direction. It's only gotten more appealing in recent years, with live streaming becoming increasingly popular.
LinkedIn is a social network that focuses on professional connections, which sets it apart from the other major platforms. Nonetheless, it has added a video cover option for customers.
LinkedIn is also striving for more interactive and visual feeds for its users, with businesses being able to submit video marketing campaigns and other content.
YouTube
YouTube has a new area called Shorts that competes with TikTok's bite-sized videos. The brief videos can be scrolled and watched directly from the YouTube app.
Shorts has a nice feature that allows you to find additional clips that use the same tunes or noises as the current one.
