Now the place to post for young people, the Chinese app has exploded since the start of containment. A place of creativity where everything seems possible … even the worst.
Well, a gentleman plays billiards with eggs, and there, a teenager makes his cat dance to Spanish music. Welcome to the madhouse. Or rather, welcome to TikTok. The only objective: to be inventive in sixty seconds maximum. No question of calling his followers “Influencers”, here we say “creators”. TikTok has everything of a classic social network with comments, subscribers and likes like on YouTube, an ingenuity reminiscent of the missing Vine and a playful side that Snapchat can have. Its strength: the “challenges”, more or less complex challenges launched for the most part by internal teams. Group choreography, dubbing of film, humor … Some people impress, others make people laugh, the addictive effect is assured.
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But, right off the bat, something tickled on the cracked platform. “We will not give you any data concerning subscribers or downloads,” warn employees. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, however, provide this kind of information. Especially since the figures should make them want to show off: at the start of the year, TikTok was downloaded by 315 million people worldwide, including 43 million in Europe, according to Sensor Tower, an American analysis firm. The previous record was held by Pokémon Go at its launch in 2016 (308 million). Except that TikTok belongs to a Chinese company, ByteDance, which merged it with the American Musical.ly after its acquisition in 2018. “The Chinese are not known for their transparency … Everything is completely opaque in this box”, comments a social media specialist.
The rules for TikTok cowboys are unique. Facebook sees content as “seen” when the user is at least three seconds in front. On TikTok, you only need to have hovered over it to make the counter fly. If, for ordinary people, it is only a detail, for business, this element changes everything. Registration is free and it is not possible to highlight your account for a few dollars more like the competition. Tiktokers don’t spend or earn a dime. To live, the application sells advertising at high prices. And to entice advertisers, only one valid piece of data: engagement, represented in particular by … views. If these are piped, the returns on investments are too.
Another argument for brands: the audience. Snapchat broke its teeth, as teens were not the ones holding the wallet in the foyer. “Few brands have an interest in targeting their target audience,” said Pascal Nessim, head of the Marcel agency. Again, silence on the average age of registrants. “Not so young,” said a spokesperson. But, if some reckless people have ventured there, it is enough to walk around to see that, on TikTok, the seniors are 25 years old. In the description of their page, even Bigflo and Oli (27 and 24) laugh: “We are already too old for this app, right? So, like many others before it, to bail out the coffers, the company collects everyone’s data. One of which is precious and compulsory for registration: the telephone number. Several lawsuits have been brought against ByteDance on this matter.
Who says very young overexposed audience says drifts. The application provides all the tools so that nothing stains creativity. “TikTok is absolute freedom, that’s why this generation loves it. And they know they won’t find their parents there, “says Pascal Nessim. Unsurprisingly, therefore, some challenges have escaped the control of the teams, seeing teenagers put bleach in their eyes to clear them up or double-rattle themselves to smash their heads on the floor. Often denounced in the press, these examples are rare, however, and the accounts which relay them are banned.
What is not, however, is inappropriate content of another kind … “In three minutes, you can come across a child dancing in panties. It’s not at all secure on that side, ”noted an observer. TikTok has the power to give virtual notoriety quickly. The million views, even for a stranger, can happen in a few minutes. What works are the choreographies. Many young people dance more or less suggestively in outfits that leave little room for imagination. It’s okay for the older kids, who are aware of what they are posting, but 14 year old kids do it the same way. There are thousands of videos of teenagers mimicking the very explicit words of certain titles. And the vicious comments burst out. Some even ask to contact the girls privately. Besides, other participants, considered too big, too small, too big, are insulted for their physique. The app has been accused of only highlighting profiles that meet certain criteria: on the home page, flat bellies, white teeth and light eyes are legion. The world of Ken and Barbie in the flesh and in click.
“We have computer but also human firewalls to solve all these problems”, we say internally. Charter to inform parents, possibility of prohibiting comments, partnership with an association that fights against harassment, faculty to pass your account in private, no access before 13 years old, and soon more private messaging for those under 16 years… Drastic measures unfortunately insufficient in an era where narcissism seems to take precedence over security. Look no further, season 6 of “Black Mirror” is in your Smartphone.
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