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TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

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271–280 of 331 posts

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#271

What amazes me is that Tik-Tok fills the void created when Twitter killed vine. Given the popularity of Vine, and the outrage when Twitter killed it, I have no idea why they thought it was a good move. I’m bullish on Tik-Tok because I think it’s the next logical evolution of social media (and totally captures the Vine fan base which was pretty big to begin with) First there was text, both Facebook and Twitter. Then i…

> First there was text, both Facebook and Twitter. Then images with instagram. Now people want videos that they can consume in short bits of time en mass. What you are describing is the continued fall to smaller and smaller bits of stimulation and information. I’m worried about the consequences of this on the human mind and humanity in general. Our tech is gradually eroding our ability to focus on anything for more t…

We are all together solving something about our relationship to symbols. It may be painful to go through, but in the end humanity will be better off for all the hard work we who are here today have done by staring without pause at our phones.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#272
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My impression is that it is a quick, simple, but extremely effective medium for artistic expression. In a sense it is very pure; it is not about anything specific and, more importantly, it is not about showing a fake, happy, successful version of yourself. While I am too old to participate in it, as a medium it looks more healthy in term of living with your online persona (compared to insta-models and travel vlogging…

> [..] as a medium it looks more healthy in term of living with your online persona (compared to insta-models and travel vlogging). I think that is the core to its success (and was for Vine). Instagram became a platform for people to promote themselves or some product and people are fully aware of that nowadays.

In my own, very subjective, experience. It seems more people are "real" on Tik Tok. I just opened up the app, and the second video I saw, was a young woman talking about her Alopecia (an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss). I've seen similar videos about Scoliosis and Autism and lots of other issues people face. There are also a lot of queer creators on Tik Tok (though the company has had ongoing issues with removing queer content).

Tik Tok isn't free from toxic behavior or those problems with insta-models and travel vloggers by any means, but my impression has been that it's a surprisingly friendly and welcoming community, especially compared to a lot of other social networks

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#273
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was competition and FB used their war chest to buy them all, sans messenger. They forced people to download messenger to see FB messages on mobile. They also lied and said you had a message when you really didn’t. Just to force the messenger download.

Instagram was small app for hipsters, and everyone thought Facebook was crazy to pay $1B for it. They weren’t a competition by any means, and would (speculation) most likely die if they didn’t tap into Facebook resources. WhatsApp was only real big competition Facebook bought so far.

> They weren’t a competition by any means, and would (speculation) most likely die if they didn’t tap into Facebook resources

What's your reasoning for that? I think pre-WhatsApp acquisition most people would argue that Facebook would have died if it did not acquire Instagram...

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#274
post #261
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time we have the rise of long form podcasts. Producing quite the opposite effect.

Podcasts that many people have playing constantly. In the car or on the train. In the elevator. At work. In the bathroom. At the store. At home. For many people, it's mindless banter they put on in the background while doing other tasks. Youtube, but you can use your eyes. But when do you get a free thought that's entirely your own? Just a moment when someone or something isn't barking at you to listen to this or buy…

This reminds me of that "alarming" picture[0] taken on a Philadelphia train used to scaremonger people about how everyone is addicted to the newspapers and how it degrades the fabric of society and thought by making everyone antisocial.[1]

Yes, there are many arguments that can be brought up about differences between newspapers and social media, etc., but I strongly feel like it is essentially the same kind of neo-ludditism that will play out the exact same way. Something new will come up after social media, and then people will jump on that as the next thing that "degrades the society". We can already see a micro-version of that, with people lamenting how "back in the old days, blog posts were long form and meaningful, not like those tweets and instagram posts".

0. https://imgur.com/gallery/WkHHpZ1

1. https://xkcd.com/1227/

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#275
post #103

The biggest headline should be this: Essentially, TikTok is the only app in the top five that isn't owned by Facebook. Do you trust Facebook to influence your children with toxic content and propaganda in the top 5 app downloads all owned by Facebook? I don't.

However much I may dislike Facebook, I dislike the Chinese government more.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#276
post #261
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time we have the rise of long form podcasts. Producing quite the opposite effect.

Podcasts that many people have playing constantly. In the car or on the train. In the elevator. At work. In the bathroom. At the store. At home. For many people, it's mindless banter they put on in the background while doing other tasks. Youtube, but you can use your eyes. But when do you get a free thought that's entirely your own? Just a moment when someone or something isn't barking at you to listen to this or buy…

> But when do you get a free thought that's entirely your own?

When you're recording your own podcast.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#277
post #54

My only concern with TikTok is data collection being funneled to the CCP.

Unlike Facebook, which is data collection being funneled to Western companies and US agencies.

At least we can bitch about it together...

I don't think they're able to do much bitching over there.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#278

Tech in the west has been complacent for years, and it's not just leadership either. People whine constantly about "work life balance" and spend all day demanding that employers ban everything that offends them. The Chinese, meanwhile, are killing it. Only in the west do we indulge bizarre and self serving ideas like "you do more when you work less" and "what people contribute is less important than the way they make…

So that 'one app' that 'some Westerners use' which is 'made in China' is evidence that China is now dominant?

"you do more when you work less" 1) This is true in many cases 2) Americans work pretty hard.

"What people contribute is less important than the way they make others feel" 1) In many cases 'communication matters' 2) contribution and communicating well are not mutually exclusive but most importantly 3) Nobody says this.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#279
post #261
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the same time we have the rise of long form podcasts. Producing quite the opposite effect.

Podcasts that many people have playing constantly. In the car or on the train. In the elevator. At work. In the bathroom. At the store. At home. For many people, it's mindless banter they put on in the background while doing other tasks. Youtube, but you can use your eyes. But when do you get a free thought that's entirely your own? Just a moment when someone or something isn't barking at you to listen to this or buy…

You're a person. When do you get a free thought in? In the absence of overwhelming evidence you should assume other people are probably more like you than you think, rather than making grand claims about "many" people that aren't you.

Re: TikTok hits 1.5B downloads, outperforming Instagram

#280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chinese organ harvesting is surely beyond what the US is doing.

I think drone stickes where civilian deaths are acceptable is comparable.

No, it's not.

The state purposefully murdering people for organs is very different than accidents during the application of force for some reasonable objective.

People die all the time in accidents, that doesn't make the state evil, unless there's complete negligence.

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