TikTok is a short-form social video application that can be viewed on smartphones, founded and operated by China's ByteBeat, which launched in September 2016. In May 2017, it launched TikTok, an overseas version of Jitterbug, which allows users to record videos ranging from a few seconds to three minutes or more, which can be uploaded to the internet or saved locally. Since its launch, the number of TikTok users has only increased, so how does such a short video app stand out from the rest? Personally, I can summarise the following points.

1, full functionality and innovative content

TikTok comes with a variety of special effects and facial expressions in the shooting function, and through the pause and continue shooting function, users can change the shooting style and continue shooting after pausing the shooting, using this special shooting method to make short videos more exciting and attractive. Once the video has been recorded, you can match the video to a soundtrack, which can come from either internet pop music or locally saved music. On TikTok, users can also find news and events they want to follow by searching and other functions.

Users can switch between videos by swiping up and down the screen, and videos that are liked are also saved inside the personal centre. With geolocation, users can see videos from the same city as their own. Many features such as the above, the ability to add friends and private message others all make TikTok uniquely attractive.

2, No age limit

TikTok online is positioned as a short music video community for young people, but this positioning cannot be said to be very comprehensive. In practical terms, there seems to be no age limit for TikTok users, and children and elderly people in addition to young people are very active on TikTok. The majority of people posting videos are likely to be young people, as this group tends to be more receptive and creative. And watching videos because of the simplicity of the operation makes TikTok users without age limit, children and the elderly also make up the majority.

3, fragmentation, life

Because of the fast pace of life and work, people now make use of fragmented time, and TikTok can be at least a few seconds of a video, we can pass the time in life when queuing, when riding in the car, through TikTok.Many of the videos on TikTok are also shot by ordinary video enthusiasts, and these small videos often record the smallest things in life, making the content more lifelike.

By 8 May 2018, Zhang Yiming, CEO of Byte Jump, said that in the first quarter of 2018, ShakeTok had been downloaded 45.8 million times in the Apple App Store, surpassing Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and others to become the most downloaded Apple mobile app in the world. the success of TikTok is there for all to see, and the reasons for it more than just appealing views. On TikTok, popular short video content is imitated by many, unknown shops become popular due to video recommendations, and more short video mavens emerge. the popularity of TikTok is inevitable as it brings not only entertainment but also economic benefits to a certain extent.