The Two Faces of Social Media and TikTok

We live in the days when TikTok, the most popular and newest social media platform, is discussed the most. In fact, in the days when Facebook started with the Cambridge Analytica crisis and social media was the subject of heated debate, new topics on the agenda began to appear in particular TikTok.

Therefore, first of all, let's briefly introduce TikTok.

We are talking about a new generation social media application. A platform powered by artificial intelligence, user-friendly and purely entertainment and visual oriented. If you use TikTok correctly, you can get the chance to promote your business or product to a large audience. Because TikTok has 500 million users worldwide, these numbers are over 15 million in Turkey, and it is among the most downloaded applications among Apple applications in 2018. Young people between the ages of 16-24 are the most popular users.

It is very difficult to understand TikTok from a distance and with just numbers. First of all, it is very important to examine and experience. By observing what type of content works on TikTok and how you interact with others on the platform, you begin to understand its usage. Be sure that you will encounter a completely different world when you say tons of absurd content, videos and animations embellished with songs.

You can create your content in the easiest and cheapest way for your brands and yourself. You can also solve your work to a large extent with smartphones.

Of course, as you experience in other social media applications, you can join hashtag wars, create your own content with trending videos, and collaborate with people who have become famous there. Although it took some time, the TikTok platform also revealed its advertising options. You can benefit from various formulas that will make people click on your site and deliver your content to a wider audience.

However, while these developments are taking place in the marketing and communication dimensions of the business; Like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, TikTok has started to be discussed because of its many features. First of all, it is said that it is used as a means of gathering and influencing young people for terrorist organizations. They post short propaganda videos on TikTok and try to gather followers.

On the other hand, due to the fact that TikTok is an application originating in China and it is not operated within China, deputies are warned by the lawmakers that it poses a national security risk on the US side, and the intelligence services are called to investigate for the way it is used on the Chinese side. Particularly, there are concerns that US citizens are being spied on and that it exposes Americans to foreign campaigns, as was the case in the 2016 US elections. In Turkey and in India, various forms of ban campaigns have already begun, due to the degeneration of social values, harassment and exposure of children, and the difficulties experienced in content controls.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-based parent company Bytedance, is increasing its popularity among these discussions and never slows down on its way to becoming one of the most effective social media applications in Western countries.

In addition, the company states that it also stores user data in the US and backs it up in Singapore. It also states that they have a dedicated technical team focused on adhering to strong cybersecurity policies and data privacy and security practices at every opportunity.

As you can see, TikTok is a brand new social media application that was born on social media, but the discussions are similar. Of course, the influence of the country where the media was born is undeniable. At this point, we are faced with another area where regulators, social scientists, technology professionals, marketers and many different experts need to work together to produce solutions and ideas.