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Something I wonder is why couldn't the American tech industry, with their far greater reach and capabilities, make an effective TikTok clone? Why can we not com

Something I wonder is why couldn't the American tech industry, with their far greater reach and capabilities, make an effective TikTok clone? Why can we not compete with a silly app that people share videos on? Are the Chinese just that much better than us?

saagarjha 3y ago
Sure, Google tried. Nobody seems to really like it?
weeznerps 3y ago
Instagram Reels is a successful clone
Glant 3y ago
Vine existed 4 years before tiktok and was hugely popular with the younger crowd, at least until Twitter bought & buried it.
- calebh 3y ago
  I don't understand why Twitter (now X) never bothered to re-launch Vine after TikTok's success. The brand, I think, still has some power. Vine could have easily been TikTok if they would've expanded the platform more.
- nunez 3y ago
  Exactly. Vine was TikTok, but with less sophisticated matching. Instagram has Reels, though, which is quite popular.
willcipriano 3y ago
I think a lot of the allure of it is your feed isn't curated by US intelligence agencies.
Dah00n 3y ago
Looking at clones (and earlier attempts like Vine) they feel very… well, American! Like how a British crime series feel different to US one. To get TikTok with more of the American-feel look at Instagram (through it is a clone so not all the way American). There's also the whole security / privacy aspect. As a non-American I'm not going to put more eggs into the US intelligence gathering basket than I have to. Do I trust the Chinese more? No, not really, but have they historically or in leaks from whistleblowers shown to use my data as a weapon against me or other Europeans? No, but the US have. Multiple times. And collaborating with my government to do so even. Last but not least. Far greater tech capabilities? You make that sound like a truth set in stone, but is it really? If it was, TikTok wouldn't be where it is at IMO. Tesla wouldn't be the car with most faults in Germany's comprehensive TUV report of used cars 2-3 years old. Etc. In short, IMO, the US isn't better. It is where it is strictly because of three things: Size, money and political pressure and right now we see the US trying to use at least two out of those three: The size of its market and politics to strangle TikTok. In my book that is if not a plus for TikTok then at least a minus for any US made app trying to compete.

saagarjha 3y ago

Sure, Google tried. Nobody seems to really like it?

weeznerps 3y ago

Instagram Reels is a successful clone

Glant 3y ago

Vine existed 4 years before tiktok and was hugely popular with the younger crowd, at least until Twitter bought & buried it.

calebh 3y ago
I don't understand why Twitter (now X) never bothered to re-launch Vine after TikTok's success. The brand, I think, still has some power. Vine could have easily been TikTok if they would've expanded the platform more.
nunez 3y ago
Exactly. Vine was TikTok, but with less sophisticated matching. Instagram has Reels, though, which is quite popular.

willcipriano 3y ago

I think a lot of the allure of it is your feed isn't curated by US intelligence agencies.

Dah00n 3y ago

Looking at clones (and earlier attempts like Vine) they feel very… well, American! Like how a British crime series feel different to US one. To get TikTok with more of the American-feel look at Instagram (through it is a clone so not all the way American). There's also the whole security / privacy aspect. As a non-American I'm not going to put more eggs into the US intelligence gathering basket than I have to. Do I trust the Chinese more? No, not really, but have they historically or in leaks from whistleblowers shown to use my data as a weapon against me or other Europeans? No, but the US have. Multiple times. And collaborating with my government to do so even. Last but not least. Far greater tech capabilities? You make that sound like a truth set in stone, but is it really? If it was, TikTok wouldn't be where it is at IMO. Tesla wouldn't be the car with most faults in Germany's comprehensive TUV report of used cars 2-3 years old. Etc. In short, IMO, the US isn't better. It is where it is strictly because of three things: Size, money and political pressure and right now we see the US trying to use at least two out of those three: The size of its market and politics to strangle TikTok. In my book that is if not a plus for TikTok then at least a minus for any US made app trying to compete.