October 2018
TikTok, everyone’s mad about this musical social network
Video clips, challenges and a healthy dose of social media features including stickers, filters and hashtags: this is what you’ll find on TikTok, the musical social network that's all the rage among teens. It is the result of a merger with Musical.ly, another well-known social platform for young people. “Real short videos”, the slogan couldn’t be clearer: on this platform, the microvideo – sometimes just 10 seconds long, to a maximum of 1 minute – is the real hero, on a site where every user is an entertainer. TikTok, which is available for iOS and Android devices, now has 500 million users with 30 million videos published every day. Its success shows no sign of slowing down. It’s a big hit with teens in particular, with girls accounting for more than half of the regular users. The added value of TikTok? It is instant (much more than good old Facebook), it brings people together, and it allows you to keep track of the latest trends.
Loren Gray, social network poses on TikTok
A striking blonde, often accompanied by a troupe of friends: Loren Gray is one of TikTok’s most popular users, with more than 32 million followers. Already known on YouTube thanks to her musical talents (she is working on her first musical album), the 17-year-old American’s popularity skyrocketed after she landed on the world's latest social media network. Gray's offering on TikTok? Poses, mainly. You can see her simulating tooth pain after a visit to the dentist, looking exaggeratedly bored and rolling her eyes to the ceiling, or having fun with her girlfriends making loop videos using that cute little effect that makes an action repeat itself infinitely.
The Tiktoker Baby Ariel receives recognition from Time
“It’s a way of showing the world what you love, and talking to other people”: Ariel Martin, known as Baby Ariel on TikTok, is the third-most popular tiktoker on the musical social network. It all started back in 2015 when the teenager from Florida launched herself on the social network (which was then still called Musical.ly) with a cover of a Nicki Minaj's hit “I’m Legit”: since then her audience has grown to almost 29.7 million people. In the meantime Baby Ariel has discovered her talents as a singer and actress, and was also involved in producing the videogame The Sims 4. The secret ingredient of her many videos? Humour and creativity. In 2017, Forbes magazine included her in the ranking of the web’s top influencers.
Kristen Hancher, dancing and singing on TikTok
Miming is Kristen Hancher’s true talent. A fashion and beauty influencer on Instagram, on this musical social network she shows her more creative side by producing videos in which she sings and dances. Her last production earned her a huge number of followers: thanks to her obvious similarity to Kylie Jenner, this 20-year old from the US put herself in the shoes of her countrywoman by imitating some of the diva’s Instagram poses. The move was enthusiastically received by her 23 million TikTok followers.
Gil Croes, vom Model zum Schauspieler mit TikTok
In 2016 he was elected “Comedian of the Year” on Musical.ly, and since then his social media reputation has climbed and climbed: Gil Croes, a US actor and webstar, is the sixth-most followed influencer on TikTok. He landed on the social platform while still working as a model, and used the musical network to gain popularity and devote himself to his great passion, which is acting: in 2015 he won the Best Actor award at the Aruba Short Film Festival. Gil Croes has 18 million followers on TikTok.
Make way for the moms on TikTok
The typical TikTok user is a teen. But there is also room for moms who like having fun with their kids: this is the story of Savannah Soutas , who became famous on the social network after sharing a lip-synched video she recorded with her six-year-old daughter. The tiktoker now has 14 million followers and decided to use her newly-found online popularity as a springboard to launch her own brand of clothing.