Over the past few months, TikTok, has spread across the country and is used by students in our school. This downloadable app is a video sharing platform, that allows for users to create short videos for entertainment purposes. Many of the videos are designed by creators to be funny, aesthetic, and stunning. Those that are familiar with Musical.ly, might already know that Musical.ly and TikTok merged to form one application on August 2nd of this year, which formed a large video sharing platform with a larger user base. TikTok has a smaller user base than that of its Chinese counterpart “DuoYin”, and is gaining many more active users daily. As of late 2018, there are over 800 million worldwide downloads.

TikTok has many capabilities and enables the users to easily create short videos with music of their choice. TikTok is a user friendly app that allows for users to create unique videos. According to the app, TikTok, “encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos.”

The website accomplishes this by providing music, easy to use filters and effects, and by allowing for duets. A duet is a user creating a video that is attached to another person already made video.

While people that know of the application and use it with TikTok’s intent of use, there are those who see TikTok as a joke. Videos originally posted on Musical.ly, would find their way onto other sites and applications such as Instagram. Viewers would then create memes, or pieces of internet popular culture passed around through photos, videos, or web posts, and jokes about videos made on Musical.ly. This has continued on to the use and distribution of videos on the TikTok app.

Some view the memes and joking of videos on the TikTok app as rude or offensive, while others do not enjoy the memes or TikTok at all.

Senior Chance McDonnell, explains his views about TikTok and the jokes about the app.

“They are not funny and the app should not be as big as it is,” he continued to describe why he does not like TikTok, “It’s a knock off of vine.”

Although there are people who do not appreciate the negative attention, or the offensive posts on TikTok, preventing things such as memes or redistribution of content can be difficult to accomplish. Often times TikTok deletes posts deemed offensive through users reporting content and user guidelines. Freshman Becca Gaither, states that she is able to see TikTok videos on platforms other than TikTok itself, such as that of Instagram or Ifunny.

For those who use TikTok as a way to create memes or have a laugh, they find it easy to do so. TikTok has features that allow for easy distribution and sharing of content. On each short clip posted, there is an option for a viewer to share the video. After tapping the share arrow, users are prompted with a small pop up with many ways to share the video such as instagram, text message, twitter, facebook, and more.

Creating memes or joking about a video posted on TikTok happens frequently on many platforms. TikTok allows for a user to make what they want, how they want to make it.

Senior Madison Jackson, describes her attitude towards TikTok.

“I like TikTtok because I think people express their creativity through, now, funnier videos like vine.” She said.

Jackson recently became popular within the app from her videos after one of her posts reached over 11,000 likes and over 100,000 views.

TikTok is enjoyed by many whether the app is full of people enjoying the many effects provided by the app such as, slow motion recording, filters, or the use of music, or if the app is used as a way for a group of friends to get a laugh. Previous video sharing applications such as that of Vine which has been taken down, have been in part largely replaced by TikTok. Although there are serious users of the application, there is also a side of TikTok that prefers to use the app for comedic purposes.