A few short months ago I would cringe at the word “TikTok.”
Everyone said, “it’s just like Vine!” An app that could never be replaced, that holds a special place in the hearts of 90’s and 2000’s babies. An app that brought so much laughter and joy to the lives of many. An app that was eventually ripped from its’ users hands (figuratively and literally as it was shut down and the app was no longer accessible through smartphones).
I scrolled through my twitter feed and see videos with the tiny TikTok logo bouncing from corner to corner and quickly scroll past it. All in an effort to ignore the fact that a new platform was coming to take the place of Vine’s legacy. I didn’t want Vine to be forgotten.
Now, a little over three years after the app’s death, the only way for people to get their Vine fix is through extensive twitter feeds or 15 minute long YouTube montages. Some managed to coin the term “Vine famous,” and still reap the benefits from their popularity on the app. Vine had over 200 million users and unified a giant demographic of teens and young adults.
TikTok has 500 million users.
This is probably because in 2020 people are more devoted to their phones than in Vine’s era, but it is impossible to discount TikTok’s raging success. While the app has been around since 2016, it took off in 2020 and by the looks of it, there is no slowing this app down.
Much like Vine, some users on TikTok were lucky enough to gain a massive following, dubbing themselves as famous TikTokers with 20 million+ followers.
I tried my hardest to avoid the inevitable. My friends would send me videos from TikTok and I would refuse to watch. I assumed the app was filled with weirdos.
I was wrong.
I finally downloaded the app in December. I searched and scrolled through the masses of weird dancers and teenage boys making faces that made me uncomfortable. Trying to find the hype amidst all the mess was difficult. Then, it finally came.
While Vine never had choreographed dancers, it did have some of the funniest people ever on it. This is what I was searching for through TikTok, the dry, unfiltered, humor that Vine once brought me daily. And I finally found it.
My days are now consumed.
According to my phone I spend over an hour on the app every day. In fact, just writing this, I have stopped for a TikTok break two (now three) (now four) times. This app is just as addicting as Vine. “Going to bed” now means, “going to watch TikToks for three hours then try to fall asleep.”
I know, you have been wondering this whole time, “so, who should I follow on TikTok?” Well, I have some answers:
Daniel Mitch (@dannymitch))
Ian McCullough (@ian_muccullough)
Heather Welsch (@h3dd3r)
Jay Sage (@imthejay)
Treyton Nixon (@treybae15)
Aaron Hull (@aaronhullll)
Mitchell Crawford (@mitchell)
