How we learned to love TikTok

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Makayla Fedler, Assistant Biz & Tech Editor

“Renegade,” Charli D’Amelio, The Hype House. All these things have one thing in common: TikTok.

TikTok is the latest trending social media app that has trudged its way into everyone’s lives. Vine was the original TikTok that consisted of six second videos that we all know and love to this day. A year after that, the app formerly known as musical.ly was launched in April 2014 that had the same goal as Vine but consisted of cringey girls moving their hands in front of their phones to different songs. Once Vine shut down in 2017, the public was outraged and devastated that their beloved app had been taken off the App Store.

All that was left of the video making social media was musical.ly, but it all changed in September of 2016 when musical.ly became TikTok. It has been sweeping the nation with comedy and so many other types of videos. Let’s look at what different categories are trending on TikTok and how it became a shameful app to have and rose to be an app that everyone has.

Sydney Bryant, sophomore, says the reason she watches TikToks is because “it’s an easy way to pass time but it’s also super addicting. They make me laugh, distract me, and make me want to impulsively buy things. Not gonna lie I downloaded the app as a joke at first and then immediately became addicted.” TikTok appeared as a cringeful app to have at the beginning of the app because people sought it out to be a joke and “lame,” but as more and more people downloaded it, it became a popular social trend that has taken over the youth and young adults of today.

TikTok has content from different users all over the world, but a trend that has risen with TikTok are dances. “Renegade” is one of the most popular dances to surface from the app. The original creator of the dance was asked to be on “Ellen” to show off her dance moves. When TikTok was first created, if you knew any of the famous dances that formed on TikTok you were a loser. Now that the app has gained its popularity status, most people’s goal is to learn these moves and post it hoping to be featured on the “For You” page. One of the most watched “dancing TikTokers” on the app is the fifteen-year-old Charli D’Amelio with a whopping 32.3 million followers. Anyone can learn it, so check it out and “Renegade.”

Dancing isn’t the only content on this app: there’s also hilarious videos that seem to appeal to almost everyone. Some of the humor can be controversial, but it doesn’t seem to bother most TikTokers.

To a funny side to things, there’s always a dramatic side as well. Another style of TikTok is “Point of Views”, where the star of the TikTok makes up a scenario and as the viewer of the video, you’re looking at this from a certain point of view. The POV’s can be comical, dramatic, and just downright weird.

Shove YouTube to the other side and make way for this trending app, cause TikTok is here to “Renegade” and stay.