In 2016, the app TikTok took the world by storm. It was created by Zhang Yiming, a “Internet Entrepreneur: from China. TikTok is the eventuality of the amalgamation of three different apps, Musical.ly, Douyin, and ByteDance. TikTok is a free app but generates most of its revenue through ads. Its value leans on its billions of customers that use it daily, and the TikTok algorithm that tailors each users needs to fit their likes and interests.

The TikTok mission statement is “to inspire creativity and bring joy”. I believe that the original attraction surrounding TikTok stemmed from 1) the value given back to younger viewers who wanted to be entertained or express themselves, in a very short amount of time. 2) They wanted to take back a platform that they felt was their own, unlike other social media apps such as Facebook (which has a large amount of millennial plus users), Instagram (which has become saturated with sponsored companies, advertising, and influencers) and YouTube (who incentives users to make longer videos, as well as ads).