Blog #7 - Diffusion of Innovations

 TikTok through the lens of the Diffusion Theory

Pioneers:

    TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2022, and its fame only continues to grow. Zhang Yiming created TikTok in 2016, making him the pioneer of the app. Shortly after, TikTok merged with Musically, a fun entertainment app mostly used to create lipsyncing videos. 

Early Adopters:

    Previous Musically users fit into the early adopters category, as they were already using the app when it changed to TikTok. Most musically users were tweens with their first iPhone. At the time the app was used to create lipsyncing videos. These people clearly saw the opportunities of the app and its communication methods. 

Early Majority: 

The early majority began using the app in 2018 after the merger with Musically, and in 2019 the growth of TikTok was exponential. The "Number of US Adults Using TikTok" chart shows the rapid growth rates of the app, and it is clear that between September 2018 and March 2019, TikTok gained thousands of users. The largest population on TikTok currently is 10-19 year olds, who make up 47.4% of users. In my opinion, people were quick to adopt TikTok because of the entertainment opportunities.

Late Majority: 

    TikTok continues to grow as the late majority joins in on the fun of TikTok, which mostly consists of populations ages 30-50. This population consists of the parents of kids on TikTok. Most parents joined TikTok during the pandemic, as there was nothing else to do but watch silly videos. Parents either participate in the creation of videos (family content, cooking, cleaning) or monitor the content consumption their children might be experiencing. 

Laggards: 

    "Those aged 50+ make up the smallest share of TikTok users at just 11%." To me, the laggards of TikTok are people above the age of 50. They are not willing to download TikTok and attempt to use it because they simply don't understand the point of it. TikTok is targeted towards younger generations, which could drive away older people. Most of the time these generations believe social media is toxic and a waste of time, which is another reason they are hesitant to download it. Because older people are not using social media in the first place, it is not likely for them to use TikTok. 

Pros & Cons:

    There are many negative consequences of this technology. TikTok has very few privacy aspects to it, and it is available to anyone who downloads the app. I believe it is very unsafe and toxic for younger generations because of the inappropriate content published and the open accessibility to endless content. 

    TikTok has been beneficial to some people and has even been a huge factor in creating a new and popular job- influencing. Many people have created a brand for themselves on TikTok and use it to make money. However, in my opinion, the bad outweighs the good. With the most popular age group being 10-19 year olds, I think there is a huge possibility for damage in various areas as a result of using this app. Overall, TikTok is an entertaining app but is risky for the highest population of its users.