TIKTOK: 2 BILLION USERS & COUNTING FOR THE WORLD-DOMINATING APP

With consumers cooped up at home amidst the coronavirus crisis, more and more of us are turning to our phones to fill our time and stay in contact with loved ones. Though all networks have reported an increase in user engagement, it’s the viral video app TikTok that has benefitted from lockdown the most, passing the two billion user mark. But its success poses new questions: how safe is the new kid on the block, and what’s the future of social media?

TWO BILLION USERS

In September 2018, TikTok celebrated hitting 500 million monthly users around the world. In less than 18 months, the Chinese-owned social network has quadrupled its user base, at a time when rivals Twitter and Facebook struggle to hold and see advertising revenues fall. Though the global pandemic has no doubt increased the app’s short-term popularity, TikTok’s climb to the top has been brewing for a number of years now.