What is TikTok and how does it work?

Recently, on social networks, you can catch short videos of people who sing, dance, perform stunts or short skits. These short videos come from TikTok, an application that is fast becoming famous.

Since these videos have spread with tremendous speed on the web, you may wonder what TikTok is, how to create your own video and how to make the most of it. So, in this article, TipsMake.com will help readers find out what TikTok is, how it works and how to use it.

What is TikTok?

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Remember the 6-second Vine videos that turned dozens of Viners into Internet stars? It was these Vine videos that started the trend of creating short videos.

After Vine released in 2012, Musical.ly also debuted in 2014. Like Vine, Musical.ly focuses on short videos, especially those related to lip-syncing. In 2017, Musical.ly has hundreds of millions of users, creating music videos that last 15 seconds to a minute.

So what does this have to do with TikTok? The relationship between them is very tight. TikTok started as an app called Douyin, basically the Chinese version of TikTok. This Chinese variant still exists today, because it complies with Chinese special censorship laws. In other words, the world has access to TikTok, while China can only use Douyin.

ByteDance developed Douyin in 2016 and launched TikTok for other users around the world in 2017. This app has impressed immediately, attracting millions of users in a relatively short period of time.

TikTok even grew even more when ByteDance decided to merge with Musical.ly in August 2018. Musical.ly users must keep their account to successfully convert to TikTok. TikTok has also incorporated the Music.ly logo with his logo and even used the same nickname 'muser' that Martin.ly has set for his audience. Since then, TikTok has become increasingly popular and is now considered one of the leading social networking applications.

How does TikTok work?

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Now you know a bit about the TikTok platform. It's time to learn more about this application. With TikTok, you can post 15-second videos for the entire 'muser' community to enjoy. You also have the option to link these videos together into your stories, with durations that can last up to 60 seconds.

Either way, you only have a very short time frame for your video, but at least still more than 6 seconds maximum for Vine. Unlike Vine, you can upload videos directly from your phone, instead of having to record them directly in the app.

How to use TikTok

You do not need to register an account on TikTok to use this application. However, account registration allows you to follow other users and actually create videos. When you first open the application, you will probably feel overwhelmed when you see the video stream constantly appearing on your homepage.

TikTok shows you the recommended videos, as well as the videos from the muser that you follow. Scroll through the suggested videos and click on the username on the videos you like. If you like their content, follow and update all their new posts.

Try not to watch too much TikTok. When you spend more than 90 minutes for the application, you will receive a notice of a break. This app is really addictive for users, highlighting some negative effects of social networks.

In terms of video creation, this app works a bit like Snapchat. You record videos by holding a big red button and (unlike Snapchat), you can edit the videos that were recorded later. The editing options are clearly not comparable to Adobe Premiere Pro, but you can still cut and adjust the speed of your video.

Some effects allow you to draw on the screen. Other effects allow you to try filters and even use augmented reality technology (Augmented Reality) to change your surroundings. If you know how to use filters on Snapchat, you'll quickly learn how to use TikTok. You can also create a short sequence of images from your phone and instead use them as videos.

The main attraction of TikTok is the use of music. Each muser incorporates a song into its video using TikTok's huge song clip library, featuring almost every genre. If you don't like songs, you can also use conversations from funny videos.

What types of videos can you post on TikTok?

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Despite the fact that TikTok only allows the recording of videos in a short time, it does not limit creativity. In fact, time constraints often make the videos more creative and entertaining.

You can post any type of video on TikTok, but the most popular videos are often related to music. You don't need to know how to sing or play instruments, but just capture trends and use the latest songs to help the video spread quickly.

The type of content you can post is almost endless on TikTok. TikTok can be considered a shortened version of YouTube video, meaning you can post anything from tutorials to entertainment technology videos.

If you click on the magnifying glass icon on the bottom menu bar of TikTok, you will see some recent and most popular videos. You may have noticed that TikTok splits some videos into different playlists. Some of these playlists involve gaming, art, comedy, dance, fitness, cars, beauty, meme, etc.

TikTok also revolves around the various challenges that a large number of muser try to make. These challenges are not caused by TikTok but a muser created, then spread.

For example, challenging stair shuffle dance involves doing the same thing on the stairs leading up to the plane. Many users have come to TikTok to implement this challenge in a number of creative ways. The musics of TikTok always offer different trends, memes and challenges every week. When one trend ends, another trend begins.

Should you download TikTok?

Now you know what TikTok is, but should you eventually download it?

TikTok seems to be aimed primarily at teenagers, but is entertaining for all ages. You just need to find the right muser to follow and you will get interesting content everyday. Since TikTok was born, millions of videos have been uploaded, so you must find at least one type of video you like to watch.

If you like TikTok and want to know which trends are hot at the moment, check out the most popular social networking apps today.