Though I shouldn’t assume that you are a fully-addicted, master lip-syncing connoisseur of all things TikTok, I’m guessing that you’ve at least heard of it. If you haven’t (or chosen to ignore it),  it is a social media app where creators can make up to 1-minute videos of them talking, singing, or dancing to “sounds”.  

Throughout the years, there’s always been some type of outlet that basically offered the same ideas. Starting from Vine, onto Musical.ly, and finally to TikTok. But why does there always seem to be a want for apps like this? Are TikTok and other apps like it really that addictive? Turns out they are. 

According to Construct Digital, 60% of monthly users are between the ages of 16-24 making the main age demographic high-schoolers. Because students are constantly surrounded by those their own age, the references to Tik Toks and posts that they experience are much more than that of an adult or someone not in school. 

“I really wanted to try the dances and trends that everyone was starting,” senior and TikTok creator Gaby Sauer said. 

The For-You Page, a place where users can see the videos that are going viral, creates goals for users to aim for. Because the majority of those on the For-You page seems to be similar to the demographic watching, it adds more fuel to the fire. It seems like a type of attainable fame. 

“I think it would be fun to get on the For-You page because you are just making a funny video that will make other people laugh and once my friend and I got on the For-You page and we just laughed and thought it was so cool,” junior and TikTok enthusiast Annika Paskiewicz said. 

TikTok offers a multitude of different effects, sounds, and filters that a user can choose from. Trends often include one or more of these and this intices other users to mimic and try to earn a spot on the For-You page. 

“I really like how TikTok has a lot of different effects you can try. I really love to watch and try the trends that use them too,” junior and new downloader of TikTok Alexa McCartney said. 

According to Medium.com, a survey supported that 82.3% of videos users see are funny, which introduces another pull for users to download and mimic videos. The survey also showed that 54.1% of the videos are of daily life. If a user observes videos that they feel as though they can make or others will enjoy, it’s just easy and practical to do so. 

“My favorite part of TikTok is being able to see how similar my life is to others my age. The For-You page is customized, well, for you, so seeing relatable videos is very entertaining,” Paskiewicz said. 

TikTok introduces a new type of social media and provides a new source of references for teens today.