Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you’ve probably heard of TikTok.

TikTok’s popularity has spread like an uncontrollable wildfire. Users flock toward this app to create and watch seconds-long clips. These videos consist of anything and everything. You’ll see dancing, singing, comedy skits, and even recipes. Think of TikTok as an updated Vine. From the Renegade to Charlie D’Amelio, here’s all you need to know about TikTok.

How did TikTok even begin?

TikTok initially launched in 2016 as a Chinese app entitled Douyin. When marketed to the United States, it was under the name TikTok. While both apps were somewhat popular when they launched, it wasn’t until they merged with Musical.ly that their popularity skyrocketed. To put the success of TikTok into numbers, there are one billion downloads globally, and approximately 80 million of these downloads are from the United States. 

How long are TikTok videos?

While their short clips can be up to 60 seconds long, the “magic number” is 15 seconds. 

What type of videos do people film?

Lip syncing videos are seen as the “O.G.” trend on TikTok. Every time you scrolled, the next video would be of someone pretending to sing your favorite song. Lip syncing videos soon turned into dancing videos and dancing soon turned into gymnastics. You get the picture. Now, even cheerleading and parkour are popular. Comedy, however, is probably the biggest category on the app. 

How does one go about using the app?

When you open the app, the first thing that pops up is the beloved “For You Page.” These featured videos will play automatically so you don’t have to worry about finding top-notch entertainment. Basically, if your video ends up on the “For You Page,” you’ve peaked. To search a particular video trend, press the magnifying glass at the bottom of the page and type whatever hashtag into the search bar. Here, you can also see which hashtags are trending. TikTok, like many other social media platforms, operates on likes and comments. 

What is the Renegade?

The Renegade is probably the most famous dance on social media right now. The dance was made famous on TikTok through users like Charli D’Amelio, also known as the queen of TikTok. Many people, however, didn’t know that the dance was made up by Jalaiah Harmon. Luckily, Jalaiah is finally getting credit for her famous dance after months of no credit.        

Whether you use the app to learn dances or have a good laugh, I hope this helped you understand the chaotic world of TikTok. Now, if you haven’t already, go forth and download TikTok (and become obsessed with it like I have).

 Be well, Auburn. 

            Photography: Allayna D.