The Rise of TikTok

Musical.ly Merged With the Popular TikTok App

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Up until 2018, Musical.ly was a platform used for creators to post different types of videos of singing, dancing, performing or simply lip-syncing a song with their friends. The app was a big hit for all ages including younger and older audiences and creators. Several big names then started their social media journey on apps like Musical.ly including Liza Koshy, Loren Gray and Baby Ariel. After years of being known as Musical.ly, there was an abrupt change to a new and updated platform which is now known as TikTok. While Musical.ly was a popular and fun social media platform in previous years, TikTok has surpassed the app in fame, users and its effect on today's world being superior to Musical.ly.    

While Musical.ly only lasted for four short years, it made a big impact on the social media world. The app was a starting point for many influencers to gain fame by posting videos that lasted anywhere from 15 seconds to one minute. Creators would make content and post it in hopes of getting views and likes from people all around the world, and if they were lucky enough, they would become verified. These verifications gained creators traction with fan bases and even with popular media outlets like Good Morning America which featured many Musical.ly stars on the show. 

As soon as the platform's popularity began steadily increasing, it was bought for one Billion dollars around Nov. 2017 by the Chinese company ByteDance. After the buyout, ByteDance merged the pre-existing TikTok app with Musical.ly and transferred all user accounts and data to the new platform. Since the change, TikTok has brought in around one Billion users including several known names like Jimmy Fallon, Offset, Amy Schumer and Jason Derulo. Although TikTok was merged with Musical.ly, the new platform does have many differences and holds different purposes for users. While Musical.ly was intended for shorter, condensed lip-syncing videos, TikTok houses a variety of different videos from story times to ASMR to dancing videos. Aside from just content, the app has also created its own shop for users. Creators can sell and promote their own items or other brand’s items to make a  commission from buyers on the app. Products ranging from hair curlers, foreign snacks, clothing and home appliances can be found on the shopping tab. Both of these features add a different dynamic to the new app that helps users and companies make money and promote products while users benefit from buying merchandise, something much bigger than Musical.ly could ever dream of. 

While Musical.ly was popular after the beloved Vine app was retired, TikTok has become the location for some of the most widely known humor and news worldwide. Many people escape to the app for a laugh during their hectic day, but some become informed on important events with the quickness of the one minute video feature. Additionally, if one minute isn't enough for humor and news, there is a 10 minute video option as well. Aside from the humor aspect, creators can update viewers on important worldwide or local events in a series of ways including live videos and regular video content, which can also raise money for different issues around the world. Even though Musical.ly was a fun way to escape from the real world and post silly videos, TikTok manages to do this while simultaneously keeping viewers up to date on important events.  

Although the switch and combination of both Musical.ly and TikTok was unexpected for users, it was ultimately beneficial for the betterment of the community of people on both apps. While Musical.ly was a pretty unserious platform dedicated to singing and dancing, TikTok is used for introducing important information and informing users while also letting them use the app as an outlet for creativity and enjoyment.