Tik Tok
Mychael Ussery
TikTok, the app formerly known as Musical.ly, has taken over the world. Users share their life stories, perform trendy dance challenges and make comedic sketches. Some, like 15-year-old Charli D'Amelio, have even used their success to earn promotional deals with companies like Urban Decay and EOS.
At Howard, students make the videos, called “TikToks,” in between classes, during lunch and even during class.
While many find the app entertaining, others see it as annoying and unnecessary. It many even be harmful; many students said they were willing to go to extreme lengths for popularity on the app, disregarding their safety to get more views. Some students have participated in the “Penny Challenge,” where an individual inserts a penny and a phone charger into an electrical outlet simultaneously. Howard student Keerti Venkat was unconcerned about taking part in this challenge, which can cause electrocution and even start house fires, claiming that “people are overreacting way too much,” and “I got a lot of likes.”
Many students find themselves getting sucked into TikTok, and losing productivity. Sophomore Adam Bayoumi is a content creator on the app with a sizable following. Despite having over 36 thousand followers, Bayoumi says he has gained “absolutely nothing," from it, remarking that his “life would be so much better if [he] just deleted the app.”
Freshman Gianna Casanova encountered a similar problem. First downloading it as a joke, she was eventually spending five hours a day on the app. She ended up deleting it to control her procrastination.
Other students see the app in a more positive light. Senior Nikki Gambo has nearly 120k followers on TikTok, and is now able to make money from her popularity on the app, going on live video and receiving gifts from viewers. Gambo has also used her platform to work with brands, such as the dress store Windsor.
Many downloaded TikTok as a joke, but now find endless entertainment from it. However, TikTok is not limited to entertainment. Other videos spread public health information or test life hacks, while some even provide education and cite their sources.
TikTok is in the hands of the user; many will scroll through mindlessly, while a small number of others will amass a following and earn a profit.
At Howard, students make the videos, called “TikToks,” in between classes, during lunch and even during class.
While many find the app entertaining, others see it as annoying and unnecessary. It many even be harmful; many students said they were willing to go to extreme lengths for popularity on the app, disregarding their safety to get more views. Some students have participated in the “Penny Challenge,” where an individual inserts a penny and a phone charger into an electrical outlet simultaneously. Howard student Keerti Venkat was unconcerned about taking part in this challenge, which can cause electrocution and even start house fires, claiming that “people are overreacting way too much,” and “I got a lot of likes.”
Many students find themselves getting sucked into TikTok, and losing productivity. Sophomore Adam Bayoumi is a content creator on the app with a sizable following. Despite having over 36 thousand followers, Bayoumi says he has gained “absolutely nothing," from it, remarking that his “life would be so much better if [he] just deleted the app.”
Freshman Gianna Casanova encountered a similar problem. First downloading it as a joke, she was eventually spending five hours a day on the app. She ended up deleting it to control her procrastination.
Other students see the app in a more positive light. Senior Nikki Gambo has nearly 120k followers on TikTok, and is now able to make money from her popularity on the app, going on live video and receiving gifts from viewers. Gambo has also used her platform to work with brands, such as the dress store Windsor.
Many downloaded TikTok as a joke, but now find endless entertainment from it. However, TikTok is not limited to entertainment. Other videos spread public health information or test life hacks, while some even provide education and cite their sources.
TikTok is in the hands of the user; many will scroll through mindlessly, while a small number of others will amass a following and earn a profit.