It would be impossible to ignore the global scale explosion Tik Tok, a video creating mobile app that bought and replaced the now retired Music.ly, has recently acquired.

On Tik Tok, creators can post 15 second videos of them dancing, speaking or lip-syncing to thousands of different sounds. Users can also create their own sounds that others can use as well.

Recently, the app has gained major popularity, with the app’s most followed account currently at a staggering 32.2 million. Many of our own community members here at the high school are partaking in the use of Tik Tok as well.

Junior Naomi Jelden said that she especially notices the app growing in popularity amongst her own friends.

“Most of my friends and I use Tik Tok on a daily basis. I think it’s popular because it’s very entertaining, using short videos for our short attention spans,” Jelden said.

Jelden said that the app offers many different options for content that can be uploaded and viewed.

“It has become an outlet for kids due to the wide range of possibilities on the app, as well as the fact that it can be very amusing and addictive to watch,” Jelden said. “When I go on, I see a wide range of videos. Some dancing videos, some funny, some story times, and a lot of random attractive people doing nothing in front of the camera, but still being famous.”

Junior Nezam Jazayeri said that Tik Tok is a case of an app gaining inexplicable popularity.

“I think Tik Tok is an example of an app blowing up for no apparent reason. Funny clips and videos have always been a thing,” Jazayeri said. “People are always interested in this type of stuff, and I just think it grew out of nowhere.”

Sophomore Camille Lockwood speculated on the app’s popularity.

“I think it’s so popular because people like to make them with their friends and use popular songs people listen to,” Lockwood said.

Jelden said that Tik Tok is similar to another retired app, Vine, which shut down in January 2017, after being in use for five years. The concept of Vine was close to that of Tik Tok, where users could post six-second videos.

“It’s also becoming very similar to Vine, which a lot of people were upset about ending. This is because a lot of people are starting to post more comedic content, which was seen a lot on Vine,” Jelden said.

Although she enjoys watching the videos on Tik Tok, Lockwood doesn’t post content to the app.

“Personally, I never upload videos to the app, simply because I don’t want people to see them. But I enjoy watching my ‘saved’ and others’ videos,” Lockwood said. “Most of my friends use Tik Tok, but mostly as a joke. None of it is taken seriously and the accounts are on a setting so that only our close friends can see them.”

Jazayeri, on the other hand, said that he would upload his Tik Toks to the app, however only as a joke.

“I don’t upload clips to the app currently. I find it a little cringey, and a little childish. However I am going to start uploading to Tik Tok just for the memes,” Jazayeri said.

Tik Tok is continuing to grow rapidly among a diverse audience of members of our generation. 

“I’m not sure why Tik Tok is so popular. However, the way I get lost in it sometimes makes me believe that Tik Tok is truly the most entertaining app,” Jazayeri said. “I have downloaded nearly all the social media platforms you can think of, but I think Tik Tok has me hooked the most.”