TikTok will see 11.6% global user growth this year, according to our forecast. That's about double Snapchat's and Instagram's expected growth. The ByteDance-owned app will boast more than 900 million monthly users this year—if it manages to stay in the US, its biggest country.
April, 14, 2023: Montana becomes the first state to approve a full, state-wide ban on TikTok. According to NPR, the ban would not go into effect until January 2024 if it was actually enacted. Some critics feel that Montana's ban is largely performative and would be impossible to enforce.
TikTok is starting 2023 with a bang, introducing new updates and features to enhance the user experience. They are releasing a sleep reminder feature, as well as adding scrubbing thumbnails to make finding specific parts of a video easier.
Considering the app's popularity, we doubt it's going away anytime soon. Until TikTok officially confirms the closure rumors, it's safe to assume that the popular Chinese social media app ain't going anywhere.
According to a recent study by Socialinsider, a social media competitive intelligence and analytics tool, TikTok's engagement rate has dropped by 28% in the past year. This data is part of a performance comparison of the current engagement rates of all major platforms against historical records.
An annual increase of 2.6% is forecast for 2025, which will bring the total number of US TikTok users to 103.3 million. In the forecast period of 2019 to 2025, the number of people using TikTok in the US is set to almost triple, growing at an average annual growth rate of 22.5%.
Ultimately, the growth in popularity and mass adoption of TikTok is clear. For this reason, the platform remains in first place when it comes to overall engagement, yet its decline is one of the worst when compared to other apps.
Monthly Active Users – TikTok officially has over 1 billion monthly active users.
Why are governments banning TikTok? It all comes down to China. Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government.
TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance, the world's most valuable start-up. Numerous countries have raised concerns over its proximity to the Chinese government and hold over user data across the world. Banned TikTok from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns.
West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for Technology Innovation. The app could lose functionality over time. “If there's a ban, there would definitely be no more updates and software enhancements, and over time, it becomes harder to use those apps,” West said.
TikTok is a video-sharing app that allows users to create and share short-form videos on any topic. It's mainly mobile-based, although you can still watch TikTok videos using the web app.
These bans have generally been justified with national security concerns, due to TikTok's ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance. As of April 2023, the app has been banned for use by federal employees and banned for use by state employees in 34 (out of 50) states.
Fact: TikTok's parent company ByteDance Ltd. was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, but today, roughly sixty percent of the company is beneficially owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group.
Currently, Reels can only be up to 90 seconds long, whereas TikToks can be much longer at ten minutes. This means Reels are more fast-paced than TikToks, and they also tend to be more polished, whereas TikToks can have a more off-the-cuff feel to them.
No evidence of TikTok national security threat but reason for concern, experts say. App faces a potential U.S. ban as bipartisan hostility grows.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK? Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China's authoritarian government.
Congress has four primary concerns about TikTok. First, that TikTok collects data about you; second, that kids get addicted to spending time on TikTok; and third, that people can find misinformation and violence. Of course, all of this is also true about Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.
“We regularly educate creators about our policies because it takes a village to create a space where everyone feels welcome and safe.” The 18+ filter is not the only tactic TikTok is employing as it attempts to make its For You Feeds safe for viewers of all ages.
The app's algorithm is designed to keep users engaged by showing them more of the content they like, which can lead to a cycle of addictive behavior. This has led to concerns that TikTok could be contributing to the rise of mental health problems among young people, including anxiety and depression.
According to the latest data on TikTok's advertising reach, the United States is home to the majority of TikTok users worldwide, with 116.5 million TikTokers residing there.
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Who are TikTok's competitors? TikTok has a number of high profile competitors. TikTok's competitors include Clash, Triller, Dubsmash, Instagram, Byte, Funimate, Lomotif, Cheez, Vigo Video, KWAI, Likee, Firework, and VideoShow.