Once upon a time, in the land of the iPhone 5 and during the year of the “Harlem Shake,” an app was created to end all apps. This app was called Vine, and it was used to bring happiness to people all over the world. Vine, though short-lived, is still impacting lives today. Not a single person between the ages of 19 and 24 can drive past a “Road Work Ahead” sign without saying, “I sure hope it does.”
These people will pass such little gems onto their children and grandchildren. However, there are only so many Vine compilations you can watch before you eventually run out. Since the death of Vine, there has not been anything worthy to be deemed its replacement … until recently.
That is right. The infamous app, TikTok, is climbing the ranks to stand alongside, if not surpass, Vine.
In an Econsultancy article, Patricio Robles states, “It [TikTok] has now been downloaded more than 80 million times in the US, where it is currently the top free app in the Apple App Store.”
This means that in just two years, TikTok has surpassed Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook in downloads. That alone has to say something about the content on the app.
For those of us who remember when TikTok was first launched back in 2017, you may be loath to admit it could possibly contain anything Vine-worthy. In its early days, TikTok was focused more on lip-syncing, cosplay and other viral dance videos. Though these things are still pretty prevalent on the app, there has since been alternative genres of videos pop up amongst them. In the past, Vine was confined to only around six seconds, but with TikTok you can make videos that can last up to 60 seconds. This freedom allows for more comedic opportunity, and you can capture the perfect moment in fuller detail.
Not only is TikTok full of hilarious and cringe-worthy videos, but it is also one of the few social platforms where no one really cares about image. They are just there to have a good time.
Julia Alexander with The Verge wrote an article defending TikTok as such.
“It’s a rare social app that isn’t infested with hateful rhetoric; while it’s not a perfect place, hanging out on TikTok doesn’t make me unbelievably sad or angry,” Alexander said.
TikTok is just here to make you laugh. There is no need to have any preconceived notions about it, for everyone is just there to have fun.
Let us all put the past in the past. As sad as it is, Vine most likely will not be coming back. Let TikTok fill that void in your heart. Forget that made-up taboo that supposedly comes with downloading TikTok. It will not make you weird or turn you into a lip-syncing junky, but it will give you some great laughs. So, stop guiltily watching those TikTok compilations on the Instagram explore page and stop re-watching the same Vine compilations over and over. Let Vine live on through TikTok, but always remember: “Hurricane Katrina? More like Hurricane Tortilla.”
