I Can FINALLY Go Live on TikTok

Me before I went to a Life Group. My hair was poofy.

There’s a lot of buzz going on with a new social media video sharing app called, “TikTok.” When asked what it is, a lot of people just respond with “it’s like Vine.”

This is true. It’s the first big video sharing platforms since Vine that has gained in enough popularity to become mainstream. After only being a year old (kinda) it definitely has behaved similar to how Vine did back in the day.

“It’s like Vine”

Although it has definitely gained traction (over 500 million downloads worldwide!) it is still not entirely taken seriously. Most of the users seem to be a strange mix of ironic young professionals, introverted cosplayers, eccentric dancers, and clout chasing high schoolers.

TikTok, although seemingly appearing “out of nowhere,” is actually a genius business strategy with boundary pushing marketing. The app was originally called “Musical.ly” and was a video recording app that mainly focused on lip synching to songs with intricate transitions. It was since bought out in 2018 by Douyin, a chinese based company. After the rebrand, TikTok began heavily pushing it’s name through social media ads, billboard campaigns, and word-of-mouth.

Similar to Vine and YouTube, the app has already seen rise to some “popular creators” that seem to rake in millions of views, followers, and ‘Likes.’ This may be discouraging to someone who initially downloads the app, however there is one major feature TikTok has that makes becoming viral easier than it’s ever been:

The “For You” page

Unlike YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media app out there, TikTok users can see anybody’s content from anywhere in the world based off what they “like” or don’t like right from the beginning. For most social media platforms, the user has to follow other users in order to see popular content tailored to their likes. They have a separate “explore” page, but it’s not front and center.

On TikTok, there is an endless stream of possible content from anybody about anything that can leave you ‘swiping up’ for hours without realizing how much time you’ve wasted (I accidentally spent two hours glued to my phone the first time I downloaded the app, no joke!).

It’s absolutely genius.

Is it frustrating? Sure. Does it feed the stereotype of millennials being glued to their phones? Of course. Is it dangerous for your kids to be on? Possibly…

But more on that in a little bit.

Recently I was able to pass the threshold of getting over 1000 followers on TikTok. To some, this may not sound like a big deal.

“Only 1000?” okay, it’s not the MOST impressive number compared to some that have THOUSANDS of followers. However, there are a few thoughts I have been chewing on:

1. Out of the 1000 who actually follow me, I only really know 30–40 of them. The rest are, quite literally, just random people who have seen my videos on the For You page. Compare this to my instagram or twitter account where every single person who follows me is someone I have physically met in real life. There are even people I’ve met in real life that have unfollowed me. I’m not mad about it, seriously. It’s fine.
2. I’m just geniunely excited because I can now livestream on TikTok. While on instagram you can go live for simply having the app, on TikTok you can only share a live video of yourself after you have reached 1000+ followers. Please, you can ask for my autograph later.

I’ve been contemplating a lot of things regarding this app and my experience with it. It’s been fun to share funny videos, laugh hysterically at random content, and simply just create without feeling like I had to pander to what I think will get the most “likes.” Although I feel as if I have had a somewhat positive experience with this app, I know it’s not the case with others.

Parents have become more stressed, kids have become more insecure, and teenagers have been given an outlet to overshare their emotions.

I know I’m not the wisest person out there, but as a 25 year old Christian male kids pastor, here are some big takeaways for those reading this:

Two BIG lessons I’ve learned from TikTok

1. Consistency wins. Yes, I can talk about how an algorithm on a internet platform rewards those who post more videos more often than those who post once a month or when they “have a good idea!” (This is all true btw). Rather, I think this just proves that in every area of life, people want consistency. You are rewarded and have success when you show up when you say you will. You create a safer environment and community when you decide to be somewhere every day, every week, etc. Whether it’s in our relationships, our jobs, or even online, people want to see you show up often. So be consistent.
2. Now, more than ever, the younger generation needs us to interpret the information given to them. As social media guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, says, “Google is your mom.” Kids used to not know something and would be left with two options: be okay with not knowing, or ask mom if she knows. Because of Google simply existing, kids can just find out anything they want! It’s now OUR job not to teach them information, but rather to INTERPRET the information. We must share the ‘why’ behind everything so that we can give them healthy ways to comprehend what they learn.

That’s all I got. If you liked what you learned, please give me some “claps” to make me look cool. In the meantime, you can find me on TikTok talking to a livestream camera when I’m bored(;