TikTok’s Rise To Fame
Cast your mind back to 2012. A seemingly innocuous app was released called Vine. A platform focused around short-form content. Every video on the platform was allowed up to a maximum of six seconds. You would think that this might hinder creativity. Instead it gave rise to a whole new form of entertainment. Short-form content quickly became the hottest thing on the internet. And by 2013 Vine was the most downloaded video-sharing app.
Sadly it was not to last. In September of 2016 TikTok was released. A competitor to Vine. It too focused on short-form content but allowed a greater degree of profile customization and video editing tools. In 2017 Vine was shut down forever. There is much debate on the reasons why Vine shut down. The lack of monetization features. Not enough creative room for content creators to make branded content. And a large percentage of the most popular creators migrated to other platforms such as TikTok. Taking their audience with them.
TikTok slowly amassed a cult following. Today it is the fifth most popular social media platform on the planet. With an estimated 600 million daily users. And an estimated 1.4 billion total users. That is a staggering amount. TikTok quickly became seen as the most fashionable social media platform. It is undoubtedly the platform of choice for the younger generations. And most of the latest social media trends originate there. But we have started to see a shift in public perception. So, is TikTok still the most fashionable social media app?
Reddit Vs TikTok
No one can doubt the power TikTok has. It has been at the centre of a number of significant social and political events over the last few years. It has changed the way businesses interact with the general public. And has opened the door for a whole new wave of content creators to make a name for themselves.
But how does it stack up against Reddit? The front page of the internet! In terms of popularity in regards to user numbers, Reddit sits just below TikTok. But the main strength Reddit has is its staying power. It isn’t uncommon for popular apps like TikTok to fail. Even after a prolonged run of success. All it takes is one amazing new competitor or a significant scandal to bring it down. Whereas Reddit has become a staple of the internet. Gaming, business, hobbies, education, global and local news. All of it and more can be found on Reddit. Granted you can find all of this on TikTok too. But the open forum nature of Reddit makes it arguably more sustainable than TikTok.
The other major upside to Reddit is that its userbase is far more varied than TikTok. A lot of celebrities, highly skilled professionals, and famous content creators actively avoid TikTok. But they will likely use Reddit. Reddit is also the best place to find leaked content on the Internet. This makes it the premier choice for those involved in certain hobbies such as gaming or trading card games.
TikTok has come under fire recently for being too much of an echo chamber. People on the app tend to avoid interacting with people they don’t agree with. This was fine when the app wasn’t being used to forward people’s political agendas. But now there are concerns that TikTok is creating extremists on both sides of the political spectrum. Whereas the open forum nature of Reddit actively discourages the formation of echo chambers.
TikTok Vs Instagram
Instagram was, for the longest time, the most fashionable social media platform out there. And it is still going strong. It is the fourth most popular social media platform. And like Reddit it boasts a wide diversity of users. Spaced across multiple generations and social demographics.
With the introduction of Reels, Instagram has started to steal a lot of TikTok’s limelight. Instagram Reels essentially offer the same experience as TikTok. But the main advantage is that users still have a greater degree of profile customization and creative options.
Nearly all of the biggest creators and fashion influencers on TikTok maintain an active presence on Instagram. But we are starting to see more TikTok influencers abandon the app in favour of Instagram and YouTube. Which leads us to believe that Instagram has reclaimed the title of most fashionable social media app.
