December 5, 2022

TikTok Has Gone Viral: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

For those that haven’t used TikTok, I want to share with you that it is definitely a revolution that has gone viral around the world.

I would go so far as to say that people are becoming addicted to it and that may be good but probably bad in the long term.

There are a number of issues regarding the platform that we’re going to discuss in this blog, including the fact that it may not be good for everyone.

TikTok–The Good

TikTok is a new way to share content – almost exclusively video content and that plus its AI recommendation (we could call it targeting), has gone viral.

While Meta’s Instagram Reels comes in a close second, it doe not yet have the same level of computer vision-based AI for showing similar things.

It also has created a new generation of content creators that make a living off of the payments they get for content views. Some, including athletes and models, are making enough to live off of. For some, they are making millions, similar to what YouTube creators make.

TikTok–The Bad

TikTok has many people that have become addicted including young people. The content filters are minimal and unlike in China, there is no educational TikTok.

Aragon Research feels that Micro Video platforms like TikTok are ideal for learning–China is proving this.

Since they don’t offer a youth-focused educational edition outside of China, one has to wonder why?

Does ByteDance, the parent company, not like the rest of the world – or is it in their future plans but just not launched yet?

TikTok–The Ugly

The ugly part is that they are spying on everyone around the world and have access to just about everything on your smartphone or tablet.

The fact that they are logging keystrokes makes it a significant security concern.

While ByteDance, their parent company, now stores its data on servers managed by Oracle. There still have not been assurances that Chinese government officials don’t have access to TikTok’s data.

The Rise of TikTok Video for the Enterprise

Aragon has a new research note coming soon that will talk about the shift to Micro Video–and why this shift will happen.

In the meantime, don’t allow sensitive data to be shared on TikTok.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that TikTok is the new Facebook. It has gone viral and it is addictive. People now use the platform more than they watch TV and that isn’t always a good thing. While we expect other competitors to emerge and challenge TikTok, for now, they are the ones to beat. Aragon would advise that it is not the best place for children to spend time.

SEE JIM LIVE THIS THURSDAY AT TRANSFORM 2022!

Aragon Research’s analysts discussed, ‘The Top Ten Technologies for 2023 and 2028″ on Thursday, December 8th at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

To see the full list ON-DEMAND, register here!