TikTok is to Gen Z what Instagram is to millennials. But you already knew that. Yet TikTok has grown past the point of being a teen's app, with senior citizens, older millennials, and everyone in between finding ways to have fun and make it big on one of the funniest apps out there. TikTok first arrived in the American public in 2018, became a mainstream success in 2019 and now, it's the most-downloaded app anywhere. TikTok is everywhere, it’s influencing how we dress, talk, dance, listen to music and talk to friends online. And other platforms want a piece of the action for themselves.
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In January, Vine made its uneventful return with Byte, and yesterday, it was revealed that YouTube is now working on its own TikTok competitor, called Shorts.
Two people close to the matter told The Information that YouTube's (Google-owned) TikTok rival will have a feed for user-posted videos and users can incorporate songs from YouTube Music. What's more, the mobile app is expected to be available for download by the end of the year.
A lot of great YouTubers, like Emma Chamberlain and David Dobrick, have adapted remarkably to TikTok’s format and when the time is right, Shorts will surely tap them for the launch. When Vine's original creator announced he was reviving the 6-second format with Byte, those who joined TikTok because they missed Vine were eager to see what the new platform offered. But Byte is a startup, one that has to pay popular creators to make content and is still working out some kinks.
TikTok is the Regina George of the App Store — only it's way better at crossing the road. TikTok can do funny, it can do serious, it can do glamour, and it excels at camp. But that doesn't mean it's without its Cady Herons and Janis Ians.