Hello and welcome to my first blog post! Just last week I not only downloaded the TikTok app for the first time, but I created an account and delved deep into the world that is TikTok. Before this week, I did not know a whole lot about the TikTok platform as a whole. I truly thought that the app consisted of young school-aged children strictly making dance videos that were equally as “cringe-worthy” as the next, but man was I wrong. There were individuals of all ages creating content, and it is much more than dance videos. As a self-proclaimed die-hard Vine enthusiast (RIP), I was shocked and more than pleasantly surprised to find a Vine-like world of comedic videos and relatable content without the six-second micro-video format of the Vine platform……I was in heaven!
So there you have it, I created my very own account, eager to be a part of this community, establish my own TikTok brand, and hopefully gain some traction over the course of this semester! Pictured below is a first glance at the humble beginnings of my TikTok account
After creating my account just five days ago, I have gained 11 followers, or roughly 2 followers per day. While this is a meager start, for only having posted my first TikTok the same day I created the account, I think I am off to a great start! Immediately after creating this account I went straight to the “add friends” icon in the top left of the interface and added practically every contact I knew right off the bat with a few friends trickling in as followers as I went along. Then, I went to the following page and began following popular TikTokkers and influencers, making a point to like and comment on each of their videos I thought were worth a like.
From being an active participant on the “for you” feed TikTok provides based on your likes and follows, I began to garner some followers! Then, I thought it was about time to produce my own content and make a vine of my very own. Using some inspiration taken from Alicia Keys’ most recent TikTok linked here , I used the sound and began formulating a video of my own with 2 of my housemates.
Utilizing the pre-made song, a filter, and a fun and interactive polling sticker, I had officially created my first piece of TikTok content! After posting, I seemed to get a few more followers from individuals I did not know personally, as well as some friends liking, engaging with my poll, and commenting on my post.
It seems to me from my short time on TikTok thus far, that just like many other social media platforms, the more you interact with others on the app and actively create content of your own, the more followers and recognition you gain. One thing I was surprised to see though, was that many friends of mine had gained hundreds or in fact thousands of likes on TikToks fairly effortlessly. When I asked them what their secret was, they basically either used pre-made tracks that placed their video on popular pages and feeds of thousands of hash-tagged pages, or they simply created a hilariously original video from scratch.
This is going to be my strategy and the start of my formation of a social media strategy to gain followers and likes as I go. What I have done so far is spend countless hours scrolling through my feed liking and favoriting funny videos, cool dances, and innovative uses of special affects the app offers. By doing so, I have begun to create a digital library of sounds, videos, hashtags, and effects that I will be using in the future and recreating in my own ways! Pictured here is just a small portion of my most recent favorited videos and sounds I found particularly comical or creative.
Overall, reflecting on my first week as a TikTokker, I am on the right track to gaining followers and likes on my videos. With multiple videos currently in the works in my drafts, I hope to enter into the mainstream of TikTok fame, recreating popular videos with my own spin while using popular songs, features, and hashtags. I also aim to become “friends” with more TikTok users by actively liking and commenting on their posts!
And that is all for now. Until next time!
#Kai
kai's world! 