When Vine was shut down two years ago it left a massive hole in our hearts. Until we discovered TikTok, the new, not-really-new social media platform where users post short, 15-second clips of anything from pranks to dance challenges to videos of their pets dressed in funny outfits.
Formerly known as Musical.ly in the US, Chinese social media network TikTok has had a meteoric rise, becoming an endless source of creative short sketches, similar to the even shorter Vine skits. It is best known for its act-out and lip-synching memes backed by music and other sound clips, which are reproduced and remixed among its young users. That’s also why it is often referred to as the lip-synching app.
Regardless, if you find TikTok cringeworthy and bizarre, that’s old granny probably because you grew up in the age before the social web. Generation Z’s love the goofy online sharing platform and many now make money off it. It’s simple, funny and irreverent – and a refreshing change of pace from more serious platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. It’s the ultimate procrastination app and can suck you in for hours.