My journey, as a college student and journalist, to understand TikTok and its young user base
by Lauren Giella
NOT JUST A KE$HA SONG
My first experience with TikTok - the newest and most popular social media platform that has become the epicenter of Gen Z culture and humor - was last Spring. I participated in a survey for my friend's marketing class, where I explored an early version of the app and answered a series of questions. I remember I hated the interface: the constant scrolling with multiple videos responding to one another. It was not quite the TikTok we know today. And, frankly, it made me feel old at 22.
Then, months later, I was forced to download the app for a journalism class. Forced might be too strong, but it was part of the assignment and I was not too thrilled about it. My friend Maya, a fellow journalism student, was a huge TikTok fan. She was always telling me how fun the app is and how it is a great way to understand young people (or people younger than me).
In the class, we learned about branding and storytelling on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Then I wondered, how could TikTok fit into journalism?
To see if I could use the app, I had to first understand it.
WHAT IS TIKTOK?
TikTok, I discovered, is a short-form video platform. Each vertical video lasts between 15 and 60 seconds. When you open the app, you see your "For You" Page - a stream of recommended videos based on trending videos, popular users and your activity on the app. In short, the more you use the app and show it what you enjoy by liking, commenting, watching and sharing certain videos, the more you get hooked by its algorithm. Based on the content you indicate you want to see, the app will show you similar content. You can follow users and like or favorite videos and sounds that save to your profile. The app is insular; it keeps you inside. Every video replays on a loop until you scroll up to the next one. And you can’t see the time at the top of your screen. I call it the "casino effect."
TikTok is a Chinese app that originated as Musical.ly, which launched in 2014 as a lip-synching app. TikTok was a similar app that launched in 2016 and absorbed Muscial.ly months later.
"It has evolved to become the 'new Vine' that fills the space of short-form video content," said USC journalism Professor Robert Hernandez, who studies emerging tech and media in journalism. 'However, it has grown to include a richer, broader ability to create content."
TikTok has more features and creative capabilities than both Vine and Musical.ly. There are more filters, including greenscreens, face distortions, zooms and duet capabilities. Overall, it is user friendly for tech-savvy Gen Z, which makes it accessible for any user to create content.
"I viewed it as cringey at first," said Maddie McGuigan, a freshman at Boston College and self-described "unfortunate" TikTok user. "You get addicted quickly, because the format is so easy. The more you interact with the content, the more you say what you like and don’t like, it just gets better and more suited to your tastes and what you are looking for in TikTok."
I tried it myself. She was right. Learning the famed "Renegade" dance was more difficult than shooting the TikTok itself.
TikTok vs. other apps
TikTok is different from other social media in form, but also in tone and usage. Twitter is text-based and tends to be more self-deprecating and ironic. Conversations happen there, in an official capacity by verified accounts, or in an informal sense among individual users. Users can retweet and favorite tweets they like or agree with and can tweet themselves.
Instagram is picture and video-based. There are many filters and curation of profiles to convey a certain aesthetic look. News outlets have accounts and post updates and stories with links to full video or text pieces.
Memes circulate on both Twitter and Instagram, either a picture with text or a video reference from a film or show.
Snapchat is less serious and more personal than other apps. Most young people use the app to send thirst-trap selfies to their crush or ugly selfies to their friends.
Facebook is for old people. Sorry.
TikTok is different. The meme formats are more complex because the apps cover more features. Users have audio, video, text and filters at their disposal. While you can comment on videos, that section is not the place for discussion like a Reddit thread.
Much of the ideas, audio, format of videos are recycled from trends on the app. This provides a sense of comfort and familiarity that memes usually provoke.
The accessibility of TikTok has allowed it to thrive and grow globally. It's like the new American dream concept on social media: anyone can be famous and anyone can make a video that blows up.
"Basically anyone can get on the For You Page, said TikTok impresario Conrad Rocha, a sophomore at USC who has 611.2 thousand followers and over 14.5 million likes. "It's not just influencers or people who are already famous. I'm a nobody, I'm not famous or anything."
In theory, anyone can become an influencer. It's not all that difficult to have one video blow up, though it requires care, skill and luck to navigate the algorithm. What's difficult is maintaining influencer status. That requires consistent posting and an authentic originality while keeping on top of the latest trends in the app.
Authenticity is key. While there is a certain formula to which the algorithm circulates content, no video can go truly viral without a certain genuine spirit. It seems contradictory that on an app that functions as a recycling of trends and formats, you have to make original content. Creators can't just copy and paste trending dances and popular sounds. They have to add their own unique spin on every trend, like when you "paraphrase" from a textbook for your essay.
"I think that a lot of creators take what they see and then recreate it, like there's not that much original content, said Mia Finney, a junior at USC with 4 million followers on TikTok. "Everything you see on the For You Page is kind of built on itself. So you're going to see repeating stuff...hardly ever like truly original. But like I feel like a lot of creators don't take that extra step into making it more creative."
In a world of content explosion in all creative fields, from art to music to film and television, you have to work hard to find your special something that will make your content stand out in a crowd.
WELCOME TO THE iGENERATION
Once I got past the format and endless scrolling, the next issue I had with the app was the people in the videos. They were so young and I felt too old and too uncool to be there.
I am a cusper, born in 1997, right in the sweet spot between Generations Y (Millennials) and Z. I have two older, Millennial brothers and grew up with all the cultural moments "only 90s kids will remember." At the same time, I grew up with all the tentpoles of the new millennium.
When I first got on the app, all I saw were teenagers dancing to songs I didn't know. Wearing clothes and makeup I would not have worn in high school. I was made fully aware that this app is totally for Gen Z.
Morley Winnograd, a USC senior fellow at the Annenberg School's Center for Communications, Leadership and Policy, has studied generations in politics.
"[TikTok] is catching hold as we're coming to the turning of a generation of a change in generational membership," he said. "As Millennials disappear from the scene and are replaced by the generation after it." He doesn't use the term Gen Z, but rather, the Pluralist Generation. "We call its members Pluralist because its defining characteristic is the ethnic diversity."
According to PEW, Generation Z constitutes anyone born from 1997 to 2012. This is the generation, sometimes referred to as the iGeneration, that grew up with internet access, WiFi and iPods. They came of age in a post-9/11 world, yet they don't remember the tragic event specifically. They grew up in an "always-on" technological environment and have come of age with social media. This all contributes to a unique blend of sensibilities, perspective and humor that shape teenagers today.
Most people start building their personal brand once they enter the professional world. They set up a LinkedIn, do a clean sweep of partying pictures on Facebook, make their Instagram private. But for Gen Z, they have been building their brand since they were kids.
"Gen Z is characterized by the over-obsession with social media and presenting yourself online," Rocha said. "Everyone's a creator. You are putting your content out there and branding yourself to create an image on a platform. Gen Z just grew up doing it."
As the new youth generation, Gen Z is constantly under a microscope from older people, trying to understand and analyze what makes them tick (no pun intended).
Gen Z humor
It's difficult to describe your humor and your culture when you are living it. It's like asking a hippie to explain their vibe - it just is what it is. Perhaps we must leave it to the academics to provide proper analysis.
Gen Z doesn't care about defining or defending their humor; they are too busy living it. And creating the content that will speak for itself. If anyone older dares to condescend to box them in or dismiss them, they will be met with the now ironically used "Ok Boomer."
Their humor is shaped by their experiences and their sensibility that make them distinct from their predecessors.
"Millennials like to avoid confrontation or seek to avoid confrontation rather," Winnograd said. "Whereas Pluralists revel in confrontation. It helps them define who they are versus everybody else."
Rocha describes Gen Z humor as "out of pocket," "no chill" and even aggressive. In that way, they are not afraid to make light of serious issues. Others describe it as just dumb.
"Gen Z humor is just stupid. Not really a slapstick, it just makes no sense," said Jackie Lee, a junior at USC. "Sometimes, our actions have no real purpose."
That sense of humor is evident on TikTok.
"There was a trend going around where a girl inverted a picture of a frog and typed 'arson' over it. And so it was a video of her just laughing at this video. And then it got popular and there was this community that grew of people just laughing at this picture," Lee said.
Don't worry, they are well aware it is confusing, too.
"It makes zero sense, but I feel like... it's not even a sense of humor. We understand that that's just the weirdness of cultures making [something] a trend," McGuigan said. "It's nice to feel affirmed for the weird, niche things."
Not your mamma's record player
Older folks and media outlets are always trying to understand Gen Z.
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through."
These David Bowie lyrics read at the beginning of "The Breakfast Club" embody the film's theme of misunderstood youth. They are still relevant today. Much like decades-old fashion trends, the attitude of angsty teens recycles every generation.
Older generations love to scoff at youth culture. Every generation experiences it. It's the kids listening to rock & roll in "Bye Bye Birdie" or dancing to Quiet Riot in "Footloose." Today, parents worry about what a certain TikTok dance move means, just as they worried about what their kids meant when they texted "LOL" or "BAMF" from their Nokia flip phones in 2003.
There is a sense of pride young people take in their culture when they can find a space entirely their own to create and share. They revel in the bewilderment from their parents and unfounded outrage from the media.
People tend to dismiss TikTok as a silly internet fad before they bother to learn about it or dip their toes into the new world. This is the epicenter of youth culture, where music, dance, art, comedy, film intersect in a new way. This is Golden Age Hollywood, Paris in the 20s, Greenwich Village in the 60s. The young users don't care if others don't get it, they're just creating it with or without their approval.
Beyond that, TikTok is a document of the times. Like other social media, TikTok is a digital diary, detailing the emotions and thoughts of a generation during a unique and stressful period of human history.
The chicken or the iPhone?
TikTok emerged as Gen Z comes of age. It's a chicken-or-the-egg question of what came first, Gen Z culture or TikTok culture? Maybe there is no real answer and the two are coexisting, building off each other as they both grow and evolve. It is the perfect blending. Gen Z is perfectly suited for TikTok.
One reason is Gen Zers' need for instant gratification.
"Gen Z culture relies so much on instant gratification and short attention spans," said Jonny Iyasele, a freshman at USC. "We consume information so fast and we are just used to that. TikTok perfectly feeds into that. I can't even watch Hulu with ads anymore. We consume things so fast and then lose interest. TikToks are not long; they are simple and efficient content. You can watch one and feel gratified and then scroll on to the next one."
Gen Zers have also lived through the rapidly evolving technological landscape. They have seen CDs turn to MP3s to iPods and then iPhones. They have been overloaded and overexposed to screens and constant software updates. Their navigation has built quick adaptability.
TikTok is user-friendly and has a "learn-as-you-go" spirit to it. The trends on the app cycle through quickly, with a certain meme format, audio or dance lasting only a few weeks before users move on to the next biggest thing.
"We just are so immune to it [rapid technological updates]," McGuigan said. "We have an ability to latch on to a trend quickly before the media, like popular media, recognize it as a legitimate source of like culture...we can believe in that. And we can just use that to our advantage. Coupled with media overload that we've just been so used to for so long. Like we're already predisposed to enjoy this platform."
The expansive capabilities of TikTok also pair well with Gen Zers creative capabilities. Lauryn Henry, a junior Cinema and Media Studies major at USC, said we are living in a post-postmodernism world. Gen Z knows how to tell stories with the rise of the internet and the convergence of mediums.
"TikTok should be included in modern cinema, if not, that is counterintuitive to understanding media and the highly cinematic nature of Gen Z," Henry said. "Cinema has become a convergence of many art mediums...and TikTok combines it all on the platform where you can do whatever you want."
Henry said TikTok is the best representation of the overwhelming feeling over information overload Gen Z is burdened with.
"Older generations don't get it. They haven't caught up with the amount of information fed to Gen Z since we were born. It's a different time of living. TikTok is the first in the market to feed into that," she said.
The TikTok Algorithm
The infamous algorithm has caused quite a conversation on the app. It's the reason you either blew up on the For You Page or your videos haven't broken 12 likes. While no one knows for sure how it works, people have their (very educated) guesses. TikToks likes these can be found on the app, as users try to explain and hack the algorithm.
The algorithm tracks the videos you like, share, comment on, watch to completion and reply. Not only will those videos get pushed to more users' For You Pages, the algorithm will track your data to show you similar content it thinks you will like, based on your previous interactions.
I'll admit, after a week or two of using the app, I still wasn't sold. I was still seeing eBoys and VSCO girls dancing, so I wasn't using the app very often. But that is the problem. The trick to TikTok is the more you use it, the more you like it. That is where the infamous algorithm comes into play. No one knows for sure how, exactly, the algorithm for TikTok works, but many smart tech people have studied it and have come up with a collective idea about how it generally functions.
After I started using it more frequently, my For You Page molded into something I was excited to encounter. Based on the way I interacted with content and who I followed, TikTok really began to know me. I saw the world expand to videos beyond just the basic cringey content. I began watching videos that feature art, cooking, nature photography and sports tricks. Then I began creating niche content holes for myself. As a huge musical theater nerd, I am now entrenched in a world of fellow theater people singing duets to broadway tunes, sharing tips for belting, making Hamilton memes. I also found myself in the niche One Direction world of TikTok, where fellow Directioners reenact their old middle school fan fiction or share compliations of bad members.
While I was finally enjoying the app, part of me thought, "oh no, now I'm a TikToker." It was my guilty pleasure, a quick source of laugh or entertainment when I didn't have time to watch a full episode of television on Netflix. The platform is not only a pure escape from reality. Oftentimes, it directly addresses the outside world. But with a special twist.
In the beginning of January, President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The world went into a frenzied panic. Journalists and political experts debated on the news what the ramifications would be of this attack, prompting many to believe World War III was upon us. While Boomers and Gen X turned to the news and Millennials turned to Twitter, teens turned to TikTok. Gen Z reacted to what it would be like to be drafted in the only way they know how: through memes and humor. Using existing TikTok formats and sounds, users added to the conversation as a way to deal with the existential anxiety of an impending war.
This reaction extends to all major world news events: the fires in Australia, Trump's impeachment, and now coronavirus. In times of high-intensity anxiety, TikTok has emerged as a primere outlet for many.
The day-to-day problems of young people are often dismissed as trivial, because we are allegedly living in this age of the most opportunity and "have things so easy." But in reality, every young person has experienced trauma, from 9/11, wars, economic recession, climate change, mass shootings, and now, Covid-19.
And with all the pressures and stress, young people have become more open to talking about it. This is not to say the older generation didn't go through hardships, but they were often taught to bottle it inside and keep pushing on. Millennials and Gen Z are starting to shift the culture and talk about their feelings and normalize seeking treatment for mental health.
"It's a form of coping," Lee said. "It's the same situation for everyone in this age group. It's like one big pity party, because there is a comfort in the sadness. A community affirms your sadness and validates it. I am very sad about the college semester being cut short and being sent home to live with my parents. Without social media, my parents would tell me 'that's just life, move on.' But with TikTok, my feelings are acceptable. I can just sit in it."
With the new platforms of social media, teens are connected and empowered to share and vent their feelings. But simply detailing how much life sucks is not cute. It has to be packaged in a stupid-funny-absurd meme and high-production quality short videos.
"Older generations were taught to be cynical in their approach to humor and outlook in global events," Henry said. "They love to dispel this 'snowflake effect' that Millennials are to blame for all the bad stuff in the world. But that’s not true. We [Gen Z] are so young and have witnessed so much horrific shit and we are expected not to feel the weight of any of it. Frankly, it's ageism not to expect us to experience life-altering trauma on a global scale."
Instead of being "detached," Henry said feeling the weight of emotions and using humor makes it easier to cope. It's a catch-22: bottle it up and feel numb or feel too much and be crippled with anxiety.
"We are societally trained that we are not allowed to have feelings. There is a lot to deal with, horrific events...Feeling the weight of impending doom, regardless of your political beliefs or background, is the weight that youth are burdened to carry. Our humor isn't that dark all the time, but it can be. We need to make a joke to make light of everything. It's so scary."
In this way, social media has become a safe space for young people. While the app creates an individualized experience, it also creates the sense of community. Everyone is laughing at the same joke, doing the same dance. Even though it can still be cringey and ironic at times, the app has become a pure place made popular by Gen Z, for Gen Z.
A TIKTOK NEWSFEED?
As a journalist, I look at culture and social media through the lens of a reporter; how can I use this to find stories or tell stories?
Clearly, the app is a hotbed of stories; business, data security, fashion, trends, profiles, education. Some journalists, like New York Times technology reporter Taylor Lorenz, have carved out their beat in the emerging technology space.
But in order to be accepted as an outsider on the app, news organizations and reporters need to exhibit the same level of authenticity as TikTok creators.
Professor Hernandez is "all for" news organizations getting into TikTok, as long as they allow their employees freedom and fluidity. Still, genuine effort must be made.
"You have to go in there with eyes open, without judging or dismissing," he said. "I think you need to really be part of the community as opposed to trying to parachute in and hijack the community."
There is no doubt reporters can find story ideas on the app, but I am not sure it will be a place to deliver the news. It doesn't seem possible to tell enough of a story in 15 seconds among dancing videos and absurd comedy bits. Unlike Twitter or Snapchat, where users can go to separate feeds to see news, entertainment and their friends, TikTok puts every bit of content together on the same, continuous feed.
It seems these days everything is political. You cannot enter space, whether that be physical or virtual, that doesn't hold some great social-political consequence. TikTok is no different. Some unverified users are dedicated to creating content that addresses social justice and political issues.
Politics on the For You Page
Among the dance videos, you are bound to scroll past a political TikTok up on your feed.
Bernie Sanders was the only 2020 presidential candidate to create an account on the app. His team asked users to create and submit videos detailing why they supported Sanders for the chance to be featured on the page.
The second video shows a common practice of dueting. This is a way of responding to a video. A conservative or liberal user will create a video expressing one perspective on an issue. Then a user of the opposite view will respond by playing the first video and then adding comentary to their followers. The two users never actually interact in real time. This example is about the controversial kneeling for the National Anthem. Depending on your interactions, the algorithm can create an ideological echo chamber that only shows you videos with ideas you agree with politically.
While some people might duet the video to respond or react, TikTok is not a place for much discussion or debate. The most a user can do is present an idea and raise an issue. It's difficult to argue the nuances of the prison industrial complex in 60 seconds.
The Washington Post is the most popular official news user on the app. It was also the first. But even their content is more fun. Their account is a peek into their newsroom, where producer Dave Joregenson seemingly annoys his colleagues hard at work with his silly antics.
"I've always found our newsroom is filled with a lot of really funny people, even if they're kind of dorky and sort of nerdy," Jorgenson told CNN Business. "That's our humor. And so I sort of sought to reflect that humor on TikTok within all of our videos that we publish each day."
The Washington Post launched on the app in May. Jorgenson said the goal is to use their account to build trust with TikTok's young user base and get them familiar with the Post’s newsroom and brand.
"These are real reporters working very hard," Jorgenson said. "And, you know, they're actually pretty relatable."
According to Profesor Hernandez, this strategy will pay off for The Washington Post. If your first and you're consistent, he said, "your brand will eventually grow [on the app]."
"This new platforms leads to new creation types that give opportunities for content creators to be amplified and for news organizations, if they genuinely engage with it without judgment, could lead to a whole new audience group that they normally would never ever be caught dead with The Washington Post," Hernandez said.
The Washington Post account leans mostly comedic, but does include some funny journalistic bits.
"Comedy through journalism is even harder because if you do it wrong, you're gonna burn a bridge," Hernandez said. "But if you get that recipe right, if you have confident writers and understand the community that they're serving, they'll produce gold."
WaPo Takes TikTok
These are two of the many popular TikToks from The Washington Post. The first features reporting from the Iowa Caucus. This is a more traditional news coverage piece, but is TikTok-native. It shows an insde look into a space many young users may not be familiar with.
The second shows more faces in the office and features the phyical paper, to remind users that The Washington Post is infact a newspaper. They also use a trending sound and format that will feel familiar to users scrolling on their For You Page.
While The Washington Post has set the standards for news organizations on the app, it is uncertain if the platform will become a space for users to seek out news and debate. Beyond just the technical format of the app, the algorithm makes it difficult to get truly informed.
"The reinforcement of hearing somebody agree with your point of view, and being able to reach a lot of people that have your point of view, is a very powerful tool in social media," Winnograd said.
He likened this feeling to belonging to a political party. According to Winnograd, membership to a political party, a community that shares beliefs and ideas, is a very important indicator of political involvement.
Social media makes people feel they are heard and validated. People can expand the conversation beyond themselves and their close circles. One's voice can be amplified across platforms in a way no other generation has.
However, many young users are aware that they won't get the best information from their TikTok feeds. The curation of content you like, whether it's cooking, comedy, or politics, creates a biased feed specifically designed to appeal to your interests.
"I definitely take into account the filter that's on it and especially the fact that my feed is filtered," McGuigan said. "So maybe there is a lot more Biden's support or Trump support on TikTok than I realize, but for me it's always like more Bernie posts...this is just more reinforcing something that I believe."
Both McGuigan and Rocha seek their news from other apps or news outlets that can provide a more comprehensive, accurately reported story from verified accounts.
"I don't necessarily feel like TikTok is the place for politics in my personal opinion," Rocha said. "I definitely feel like that's more of a thing for Twitter."
The real test will come as the app grows and political campaigns look into campaigning on the app. Bernie Sanders had a TikTok for his campaign. However, his team did not spend that much time or resources on the app. Understandably, it is relatively new and most of its audience is either ineligible to vote or exhibit consistently low voter turnout. But in the future, as Gen Z grows into a politically active generation, politicians might have to pay more attention to target them where they're at.
"Politicians are going to have to talk to Gen Z demographic," Henry said. "So the platform might grow into a more integral platform for campaigns and policies."
FINAL THOUHGTS
After about three months of scrolling and liking and sharing on TikTok, I had my "Galaxy Brain" moment. It finally clicked for me what this app is. I was able to step out of my journalist, media critic brain and enjoy the app as a 22-year-old angsty college student.
The term "safe space" has become something of a loaded buzzword these days. But that is what TikTok is: a space, created by Gen Z, for Gen Z. They can unabashedly enjoy content that makes them feel connected and heard, affirmed and safe, while the world around them burns.
I don't know for sure if politics and news will infiltrate the space, but I can say that would be the beginning of the end of the app. Yogi Berra once said of a popular restaurant in New York "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded," That is what happens with social media apps. Facebook was once a space only for college students. Then their parents joined.
Galaxy Brain stages of downloading TikTok
But that is what TikTok is for young people, and people of all ages who enjoy the app. No matter what is going on in the world, TikTok will be an escape for many. During COVID-19 quarentine, TikTok has become a place to waste time and process the anxiety by laughing at stupid memes.
TikTok is not just a market for culture, TikTok is culture. Famous teenage influencers are signing with major talent agencies, journalists have formed beats. You can look at projections and data and try to make predictions about how long the app will last, how it will grow or how it will be used. But the truth is, no one knows for sure. I hope TikTok remains a pure space and continues to grow.
I used to scoff and roll my eyes at the thought of using TikTok. No matter how many valid points my friend made, I wouldn't listen. I would not be caught dead scrolling through this app. Now, I launch into a soap box speech every time the app is mentioned. I now actively fight against the type of person I used to be.
What started out as a guilty pleasure has now become my shameless obsession. I quite literally use it every day and could not get through the woes of quarantine without the brief moments of levity a couple times a day (okay, more than a couple). But hey, what can I say, I am a product of my generation.
