Tik Tok: Would You Be A Part of the ‘Hype’? - Opinion Piece
By Shreya Rohatgi
Whether you downloaded the app for fun or you legitimately wanted to be famous on this new social media platform, one thing is certain: Tik Tok is taking over our lives. Just last September, this Gen Z favorite reached almost 60 million installs, making it the most downloaded app from all mobile stores*. This new networking-site allows its creators to film and post a multitude of short videos that range from dancing, acting, and even comedy, allowing their followers all over the globe to view and share this entertainment.
Due to the global connection, many apps have the goal of reaching immense numbers of ‘views’ and ‘likes’, indicating the videos are increasing in popularity. In the chase for fame, several creators try to churn out content, filming constantly, captioning videos with the most used hashtags, giving their all to be at the top rung of the Tik Tok social ladder. From this social media hustle, the worldwide audience has the power to determine which creators have ‘hype’, a term that indicates which users deserve the platform’s fame.
The chase has even led to Tik Tok stars banding together to film collabs and launch their careers from the cusp of fame to a social media influencer. While several teams of these creators have formed over the past few weeks, one reaches the pinnacle of popularity: the Hype House. Titled with a fitting name, this Los Angeles mansion is home to some of the most Tik Tok famous teens, posting collabs that go viral immediately after posting. While the work ethic of these content creators is respectable, does such a sacrifice actually pay off? According to Our World In Data, a website that accounts for networking data over the last decade, 7.7 billion people exist in the world today and at least 3.5 billion are online. This indicates that one out of every three people use such outlets. With such an increase in users, it’s much easier to go viral, but it is also just as easy to be drowned out by the competition from other people with the same exact goal.
Is the decision to leave your life behind to live in a house of fellow creators worth it? On the one hand, this choice to be a part of something like the Hype House means leaving your friends and family to embark on this new journey of developing and maintaining this newfound social fame. However, given an unrelenting dedication and collabs with the right people, social media fame can lead to sponsorships and larger brand deals, making the job incredibly lucrative. With proper management, these few monetary accomplishments can turn anyone into a celebrity. Despite its unconventional nature, the benefits that come from surrounding yourself with fellow creators would be both challenging and rewarding, almost mirroring the uncertainty of a profession as a social media influencer.
Given all the pros and cons, what would you do? Would you like to be a part of the ‘hype’? Whether you want nothing to do with social media as a profession or are still up in the air, one thing remains certain— the content creating industry will expand in the digital age. It’s not too late to hop on the trend, but you better hurry, since the clock waits for no one... Tik Tok.
*Data pulled from Iquirer.net