"They see that as their new Google," says author Julie Smith about how young people are using the massively popular TikTok.
TikTok is a Short Form Video (SFV) platform. "That content delivery method is so popular that all the other apps are trying to duplicate TikTok's success," adds Smith. Smith and KMOX Virtual Consumer Editor Megan Lynch offer a primer about the social media giant in the latest "What the Media!??!" podcast.
TikTok started as an app called Musical.ly, and was then purchased by China-based ByteDance. Kids are the primary users. Smith says the latest figures show 80 million monthly active users in the United States -- 60% between 16 and 24, 25% are 25 to 44. The majority of users are female.
She adds it has become so much more than viral dance videos. Other organizations -- even news organizations -- are creating content. Smith, author of Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-in World, points out that when users search for a topic, "anybody can put anything on TikTok, there's no gate keeping, so using TikTok for entertainment I can understand, but for knowledge, that scares me."
It's a much different story in China, where the app shuts down after 40 minutes. Hear more in the Media Minute below.
Beyond content and its influence, officials have become increasingly concerned about the security of users' personal information. Recent reports reveal TikTok has been investigating journalists who have gained internal information about the company. The platform has been banned on federally-owned devices. Likewise, users of state-owned devices in Missouri cannot download or use the app.
Amid concerns about user data access by China, TikTok says it has contracted with Oracle to store personal data of US users.
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