What Is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform that became popular mid 2019. This app has opened up many new opportunities for creators to attract and engage with an audience through showcasing their experiences, talents, cultures and more. As of April 2020, TikTok has been downloaded more than 2 billion times worldwide and has taken off in 2021 more than ever. Therefore, it has become easier to make a career for yourself because essentially, it’s marketing. Countless companies have claimed their place on the app for recruitment, advertising and more. It has become an integral tool in the hiring process as much as collaboration.
Most creators have built a solid foundation and have even gained a lot of fame, by hopping on trends, or even reinventing them to fit the specific aesthetic or vibe of their profile. Most of the app includes Gen Z or Millenial creators, and everyone who participates in creating something in the app, build on each other’s creations. This is where the social network goes from passive video watching to an active and engaged community. This app now has provided a platform for diverse voices on TikTok and it’s giving people a chance to put themselves out there.
How does TikTok cater to its audience?
Depending on the videos you watch, TikTok has a unique algorithm that sets up content on your “For You” page based on the types of content you typically have the most engagement with. This is unlike other social media platforms because like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook—your feed and what you see on the screen depends on the people you follow or who you are friends with. On the other hand, the TikTok algorithm takes into account numerous factors such as likes, shares, comments, hashtags, or even the content you create. It looks at video information like captions, sounds, and hashtags to find similar content.
Outreach and Networking
Moreover, because of this, recruiters and companies have begun looking for content creators that could have skills for a specific position within their company. Younger generations now channel their passion and creativity into things that can benefit the creative industry. For example: arts students, fine arts students/graduates, graphic designers, artists, singers, dancers, photographers, actors, social media creators etc. It provides a lot of people insight into how much work goes along with their preferred medium. It’s difficult being on this platform because in a sense you are allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and it’s hard to put something you’ve created out there for people to openly judge. You never know whether or not it’s going to be a hit or miss. Knowing how the creative process in a young person’s mind works, can be beneficial for people who are looking to recruit certain individuals with a set of skills for their team.
It has been proven to be a great way to enhance the hiring experience and even humanize the recruiting process for big companies. There is a constant fight and struggle to “make it” in the creative industry. I’m still growing up and I am currently attending university. However, when I went through elementary school and high school, they always insinuated that taking law, nursing, or business would be the best options in finding a stable career, but not necessarily a happy one. By forcing these kids into one close-minded bubble and making them believe that they need to force themselves into a certain path to be successful is an outdated notion. This is very limiting and constricting for artistically inclined teenagers.
My favourite creatives that I discovered through TikTok:
These are just a few of them! There are many more and this is why apps like TikTok are appreciated and admired by others, because the creators always have the spotlight on them. The arts (liberal or fine arts) isn’t the most traditional of fields to go into, they are supposedly the most undesired creators in the business industry, yet also the most needed nowadays. This platform gives them a chance to shine and inspire others based on their identity and talent.
