4 ms·

One of the most surprising things to me about TikTok is that it isn't a Bay Area startup. For the longest time every hot social media app/platform was American.

romwell 5y ago
That's because TikTok gets something that people here don't. Just look at this comment thread; very few people understand what's positive about TikTok, what's new and different about it, and why both Instagram and YouTube can't catch up. Literally all criticisms apply to Instagram too, but TikTok is not Instagram. That's because TikTok is way more decentralized than any other photo/video platform: it's less creator/consumer relationship, and more of a community, like reddit or HN, where you communicate with video snippets. I.e. by talking, which is natural for us. It's a big, asynchronous in-person dialogue. There's content too, but that's not what makes the platform unique. Why the Bay Area is blind to that, I can't comprehend.
- sergiomattei 5y ago
  To be fair, HN is a particularly conservative crowd that I wouldn't say represents the tech industry as a whole.
- draygonia 5y ago
  I disagree. How is Tiktok different from Vine or YTMND aside from different video formats, editing tools and a catalogue of songs? I understand they were able to monetize it unlike the other two but they seem very much the same.
  - romwell 5y ago
    You mean, aside from literally everything that makes a platform? I have outlined how it's different, already, but I guess I can give a more detailed answer: * You interact with other users with videos in the same way you interact with users on HN with comments. There is a built-in tool to "quote" (aka Stitch), and link your video to a video or text comment that you are responding to. * The "duet" mode enables a new way of interacting: making something together with other people, take and remix what they've done to make something new. In particular, using audio from other videos made something new: video memes, where people act to the audio that's being played. If you've ever seen Rocky Horror Picture Show live-acted, it's like that, but at scale. * Removing the friction for making a video is, in fact, a big deal. The format (vertical video), the very-much unpolished posts (unlike Instagram), the sheer quantity of them removes inhibition from hitting that record button and sending off your random thought about anything out there. On top of this, one thing that I didn't mention is: * Algorithm that does a good job of linking people to each other in addition to showing you content. As a result, TikTok automatically forms communities. If you use reddit, you know how cohesive subreddits can be. TikTok's algorithm creates a somewhat similar experience by bringing people interested in the same things together. I hope this suffices for a start. Before further commenting, I'd recommend you actually use the platform. Forming a superficial opinion based on second-hand views doesn't result in being well-informed.
- silksowed 5y ago
  agree with all of this. in addition i am yet to see a content algorithm that is as good as tiktok's. i swear it knows what i like more than i do. ancedotally, whenever my close friend and i share a tik tok there is ~50% chance we have already seen it.
- fragmede 5y ago
  > That's because TikTok is way more decentralized than any other photo/video platform TikTok's biggest strength is in encouraging users to post, but I'm struggling to see how it could be considered decentralized. Are you pointing out that it's not top-down moderated? There's a broad code of conduct, but outside of that it's pretty open on content, and thus I can start an account and talk about whatever special interest I have - and find others with that special interest. (As long as that special interest isn't on an opaque list of bad topics.)
- fragmede 5y ago
  If you're trying to find people in the Bay Area that appreciate TikTok, might I make a suggestion? If you use the TikTok app instead of this web forum, lovely a place as it may be, you may have better luck connecting with like minded people. Because saying the Bay Area is "blind" to it is ridiculous. The Bay Area is less about conspicuous consumption to the same degree that LA or Miami can be, but investing in TikTok adjacent businesses, aka content houses, is big business and big money. Programmers might not get it, but ask someone who doesn't get TikTok what they thought of Twitter when it first came out.
sureglymop 5y ago
I think it's more interesting to me what a well executed marketing coup it was for them to go from Musically to TikTok. It's almost something that completely changed the platforms image... Musically when it was a thing was pretty much solely associated with underage people doing silly dances. Basically a platform for kids that most adults didn't even consider being a part of. But with TikTok that changed. It still has that same content of course but it is no longer limited to that and it no longer seems shady to most people.
fragmede 5y ago
Depends how you want to track it. TikTok was previously Musical.ly, and they had a Santa Monica office. The other famous app out of Santa Monica? Snapchat

romwell 5y ago

That's because TikTok gets something that people here don't. Just look at this comment thread; very few people understand what's positive about TikTok, what's new and different about it, and why both Instagram and YouTube can't catch up. Literally all criticisms apply to Instagram too, but TikTok is not Instagram. That's because TikTok is way more decentralized than any other photo/video platform: it's less creator/consumer relationship, and more of a community, like reddit or HN, where you communicate with video snippets. I.e. by talking, which is natural for us. It's a big, asynchronous in-person dialogue. There's content too, but that's not what makes the platform unique. Why the Bay Area is blind to that, I can't comprehend.

sergiomattei 5y ago
To be fair, HN is a particularly conservative crowd that I wouldn't say represents the tech industry as a whole.
draygonia 5y ago
I disagree. How is Tiktok different from Vine or YTMND aside from different video formats, editing tools and a catalogue of songs? I understand they were able to monetize it unlike the other two but they seem very much the same.
- romwell 5y ago
  You mean, aside from literally everything that makes a platform? I have outlined how it's different, already, but I guess I can give a more detailed answer: * You interact with other users with videos in the same way you interact with users on HN with comments. There is a built-in tool to "quote" (aka Stitch), and link your video to a video or text comment that you are responding to. * The "duet" mode enables a new way of interacting: making something together with other people, take and remix what they've done to make something new. In particular, using audio from other videos made something new: video memes, where people act to the audio that's being played. If you've ever seen Rocky Horror Picture Show live-acted, it's like that, but at scale. * Removing the friction for making a video is, in fact, a big deal. The format (vertical video), the very-much unpolished posts (unlike Instagram), the sheer quantity of them removes inhibition from hitting that record button and sending off your random thought about anything out there. On top of this, one thing that I didn't mention is: * Algorithm that does a good job of linking people to each other in addition to showing you content. As a result, TikTok automatically forms communities. If you use reddit, you know how cohesive subreddits can be. TikTok's algorithm creates a somewhat similar experience by bringing people interested in the same things together. I hope this suffices for a start. Before further commenting, I'd recommend you actually use the platform. Forming a superficial opinion based on second-hand views doesn't result in being well-informed.
silksowed 5y ago
agree with all of this. in addition i am yet to see a content algorithm that is as good as tiktok's. i swear it knows what i like more than i do. ancedotally, whenever my close friend and i share a tik tok there is ~50% chance we have already seen it.
fragmede 5y ago
> That's because TikTok is way more decentralized than any other photo/video platform TikTok's biggest strength is in encouraging users to post, but I'm struggling to see how it could be considered decentralized. Are you pointing out that it's not top-down moderated? There's a broad code of conduct, but outside of that it's pretty open on content, and thus I can start an account and talk about whatever special interest I have - and find others with that special interest. (As long as that special interest isn't on an opaque list of bad topics.)
fragmede 5y ago
If you're trying to find people in the Bay Area that appreciate TikTok, might I make a suggestion? If you use the TikTok app instead of this web forum, lovely a place as it may be, you may have better luck connecting with like minded people. Because saying the Bay Area is "blind" to it is ridiculous. The Bay Area is less about conspicuous consumption to the same degree that LA or Miami can be, but investing in TikTok adjacent businesses, aka content houses, is big business and big money. Programmers might not get it, but ask someone who doesn't get TikTok what they thought of Twitter when it first came out.

sureglymop 5y ago

I think it's more interesting to me what a well executed marketing coup it was for them to go from Musically to TikTok. It's almost something that completely changed the platforms image... Musically when it was a thing was pretty much solely associated with underage people doing silly dances. Basically a platform for kids that most adults didn't even consider being a part of. But with TikTok that changed. It still has that same content of course but it is no longer limited to that and it no longer seems shady to most people.

fragmede 5y ago

Depends how you want to track it. TikTok was previously Musical.ly, and they had a Santa Monica office. The other famous app out of Santa Monica? Snapchat