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A good analysis. Whether you like it or not, Tiktok is a classic example of disruption. They've not only circumvented the moat of their biggest competitors, but

A good analysis. Whether you like it or not, Tiktok is a classic example of disruption. They've not only circumvented the moat of their biggest competitors, but made it a liability - FB & Insta can't just abandon the social graph without disenfranchinsing their existing users. Absolutely textbook innovation.

k4rli 4y ago
Is there innovation? Seems like Tiktok is just a more "evil" iteration of Vine.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- lionkor 4y ago
  The algorithm™. ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, had previously launched one of the most popular news aggregators in China, running on the same / a variation of the same algorithm (machine learning, etc. based afaik). Thats why its taking off so much - just like ByteDance's other products. That AI or whatever it is is very, very effective at understanding what you want.
  - rkuykendall-com 4y ago
    I think their core innovation is that you don't pick what to watch, and they see how long you watch it instead of if you actively "like" it. So with both "selecting" AND "liking" out of your active control, the algorithm can see what you ACTUALLY like.
- nprateem 4y ago
  Well not every attempt at innovation will catch on - luck plays a role too. But in terms of positioning it offers something distinct from YT/FB/Twitter/Instagram with short form video, a focus on entertainment, and like the article points out, it doesn't depend on the social graph. That puts it in a strong position vs the incumbents who are struggling to compete since they assumed customer value required other things. The innovation, whether conscious or not, was in challenging the assumptions and conventions of social media. The trouble the incumbents have is how to compete since they can't just change their core products without a backlash. They need to find a new niche. More likely another startup will compete better and FB will try to buy them. This is just like old media's battle with 'traditional' social media.
- cwkoss 4y ago
  lol, why do you think tiktok is evil? seems the xenophobic propaganda is being successful. there isnt a single valid arguement that 'tiktok is evil' that doesn't apply even better to facebook or youtube.
  - temende 4y ago
    I wouldn't classify it as "evil", but it's clearly a different situation from a geopolitical perspective than facebook or youtube due to its ties to the CCP.
seydor 4y ago
i dont use tiktok, but i see often videos on twitter and youtube with the tiktok logo. Why does youtube want to copy tiktok when it clearly has already lost before it begun. makes them seem such losers
- frankosaurus 4y ago
  > Why does youtube want to copy tiktok when it clearly has already lost before it begun. It's no sure thing for youtube, but it's worth trying. Clearly there is a demand. Also, TikTok can't stay on cruise control. As they inevitably push to monetize, their UX will undoubtedly take a hit. A larger audience means more adversarial actors and trolls which could drive away creators. This has happened to nearly every social network.

k4rli 4y ago

Is there innovation? Seems like Tiktok is just a more "evil" iteration of Vine.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
lionkor 4y ago
The algorithm™. ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, had previously launched one of the most popular news aggregators in China, running on the same / a variation of the same algorithm (machine learning, etc. based afaik). Thats why its taking off so much - just like ByteDance's other products. That AI or whatever it is is very, very effective at understanding what you want.
- rkuykendall-com 4y ago
  I think their core innovation is that you don't pick what to watch, and they see how long you watch it instead of if you actively "like" it. So with both "selecting" AND "liking" out of your active control, the algorithm can see what you ACTUALLY like.
nprateem 4y ago
Well not every attempt at innovation will catch on - luck plays a role too. But in terms of positioning it offers something distinct from YT/FB/Twitter/Instagram with short form video, a focus on entertainment, and like the article points out, it doesn't depend on the social graph. That puts it in a strong position vs the incumbents who are struggling to compete since they assumed customer value required other things. The innovation, whether conscious or not, was in challenging the assumptions and conventions of social media. The trouble the incumbents have is how to compete since they can't just change their core products without a backlash. They need to find a new niche. More likely another startup will compete better and FB will try to buy them. This is just like old media's battle with 'traditional' social media.
cwkoss 4y ago
lol, why do you think tiktok is evil? seems the xenophobic propaganda is being successful. there isnt a single valid arguement that 'tiktok is evil' that doesn't apply even better to facebook or youtube.
- temende 4y ago
  I wouldn't classify it as "evil", but it's clearly a different situation from a geopolitical perspective than facebook or youtube due to its ties to the CCP.

seydor 4y ago

i dont use tiktok, but i see often videos on twitter and youtube with the tiktok logo. Why does youtube want to copy tiktok when it clearly has already lost before it begun. makes them seem such losers

frankosaurus 4y ago
> Why does youtube want to copy tiktok when it clearly has already lost before it begun. It's no sure thing for youtube, but it's worth trying. Clearly there is a demand. Also, TikTok can't stay on cruise control. As they inevitably push to monetize, their UX will undoubtedly take a hit. A larger audience means more adversarial actors and trolls which could drive away creators. This has happened to nearly every social network.