TikTok is a viral app that has dominated and changed the landscape of social media in 2020. According to SensorTower, TikTok has been downloaded 1.5 billion times. The app, largely influenced by Millennials and Gen Z, is entertaining, creative, and a hub for trending content.
At Fort Lauderdale and Aspen-based public relations agency Durée & Company, we are aware that we’re living in the digital heart of the social media generation. So, it’s no surprise that social media giant TikTok continues to grow at a phenomenal pace globally, with the app on track for 2 billion lifetime installs. According to Business Insider, the app surged in downloads in February due to the developments of COVID-19. This makes us wonder ― when the most trending topic in the world is a pandemic, how does TikTok remain a source of entertainment while also leveraging itself as a resource for its users?
We took a deep dive into the world of TikTok to learn how the app is supporting its global community during this pandemic. Here are three ways TikTok is helping pass the time during the social distancing of COVID-19:
- Source of Escapism
During this time of self-isolation, TikTok is playing a pivotal role in helping alleviate anxiety or deliria that many people may be experiencing.
- Who said that staying home was a bad thing? According to “The Goods” by Vox, “TikTok has become the most useful place to see how other people are living through this extremely unprecedented crisis. This creates a sense of community during this period of social distancing.” Some trending TikTok hashtags include #HappyatHome and #LifeatHome, which share ideas on how to pass the time at home. TikTok recognizes that the most responsible thing the community can do right now is stay home. Featured content includes working out, cooking, self-care, crafts and more.
- Current status: working from home. Many businesses have urged employees to work remotely from home during this time. Businesses should use this time to explore TikTok and tap into their creativity. It’s important to create content that best resonates with the audience. This could range from dance tutorials, workouts, product demonstrations, etc. This will give businesses an opportunity to engage with their consumers in an authentic way. For example, businesses can record a #QuaratineRoutine video and show how they are staying on top of deadlines with work, staying active and most importantly, staying safe.
- Comic Relief During a Pandemic
Often times, humor helps make a stressful situation a lot easier to cope with. The 15-second videos may seem short, but their impact on users is everlasting.
- TikTok: play “It’s Corona Time” by @RedKnight. According to the TikTok 2020 Report, “Part of TikTok’s uniqueness is in the fact that its sounds and music are idiosyncratic to certain challenges or types of content.” This song has been used in 877.3k videos on TikTok, showing how users are coping during the pandemic, reacting to media and the measures they are taking to stay safe.
- Stock-piling season? TikTok says so. Videos such as panic buying, which show users emptying out the shelves of their local grocery stores, are flooding the app’s discover page. According to “The Goods” by Vox, “A genre of early-2020 TikTok is: the coronavirus stockpiling video. Typically set to unofficial Covid-19 themes.” The community of users find comfort in sharing extreme interpretations of the actions people are taking during the pandemic.
- Resource for Safety Measures
While TikTok is predominately used to share entertaining content, the app has also become a resource and reminder for users to follow necessary precautions to feel safe and healthy during a pandemic.
- Stay informed. “The Goods” by Vox also notes, “TikTok has implemented safety measures in which searches for #coronavirus show videos from organizations like WHO and the World Economic Forum, and videos hashtagged #coronavirus include a notice to contact local health authorities for updated information.”
- Take this time to master a challenge. According to the TikTok 2020 Report, “Hashtag challenges capitalize on TikTok users’ natural tendency to create and share content. These challenges typically use a theme or piece of music and create content that’s entertaining with an element of a surprise or twist.”
TikTok partnered with WHO to create the #SafeHandsChallenge, which shows users washing hands while singing the chorus of a song for up to 40 seconds. Celebrities are even joining in on the challenge, including Jimmy Fallon, Chrissy Metz, Kristin Chenoweth, Terry Crews and more. The message is clear – washing your hands is key.
While we know social distancing won’t last forever, we do know that social media is here to stay and help users get through this difficult time. Need help tackling the world of TikTok? Our team is ready to help you and your business use this unprecedented time to tap into a new audience and create video content people will enjoy.
About Durée & Company
Durée & Company, Inc. is an award-winning, full-service public relations, marketing and special events firm founded in 1999. The firm has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Aspen, Colorado. Durée & Company serves the corporate, agency and nonprofit arenas for local, national and international clients. Services include public relations, social media, marketing, content development, advertising, special events, branding, radio promotions and more. Durée & Company clients include well-known names in business, fashion, hospitality, travel, wellness and CBD, marine & yacht, art and culture, nonprofit organizations, legal and professional services and real estate. Durée & Company is a member of PR Boutiques International™ (PRBI), an international network of boutique PR firms. To learn more, go to https://dureeandcompany.com/, visit Durée & Company on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DureeCoPR/, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dureecopr Twitter at https://twitter.com/dureecopr or YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/DureeAndCompany, or call 954-723-9350.