News

TikTok passes 1 billion monthly users as our attention spans continue to shrink

The app’s only been around for five years!

by
Alex Gatewood
September 27, 2021

Image: KnowTechie

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Over the last couple of years, TikTok has definitely become one of the biggest breakout social media platforms in the world. The short-form video app soared in popularity during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it hasn’t slowed down yet.

Earlier this week, TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas took to the platform to announce that the platform has reached 1 billion monthly users. Yes, you read that correctly. More than 10 percent of the entire world population is using TikTok on a relatively regular basis.

That 1 billion user number is even more impressive when you consider that TikTok has only been around since 2016. The platform saw huge success in 2020 as more people were stuck at home because of lockdowns. In the first quarter of 2020 alone, TikTok added more than 315 million new users.

https://www.tiktok.com/@tiktok/video/7012606652008402182

TikTok broke the record for most downloads of an app in a single quarter with its success in early 2020, and the platform has continued to grow, despite many obstacles. TikTok has had its fair share of obstacles, including being targeted by former President Donald Trump, but that hasn’t stopped the app from becoming a household name.

What may have one day looked like a flash in the pan of social media seems to be more like a platform that we’re going to be hearing about for a while. And as long as our attention spans continue to shrink, the platform’s short-form videos will continue to pique our interest.

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