Michelle Armstrong said she learned about TikTok while trying to find advice on how to care for her dog.
“One of the things I found most intriguing about the app is how rapid new trends and stories are released,” said the 32-year-old from Ridgeland. “I’m a dog mom, and I love seeing the new ideas to care for your dog.”
Armstrong is not alone in her interest in TikTok, which describes itself as “the leading destination for short-form mobile video” to inspire creativity and bring joy.
In the first quarter of 2020, TikTok was downloaded 315 million times globally, which is a 58% increase from the previous year and the highest amount of downloads an application has ever received, according to sensortower, a website that tracks metrics in the digital ecosystem.
Paulina Elchols, 56, of Jackson has also developed an affinity for TikTok.
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“Social media has played a big role in developing my love for arts and craft,” Elchols said. “I’ve incorporated air dry clay planters, handmade clay bowls and DIY keychains from TikTok. Although the videos are quite short, I would recommend TikTok to anyone who’s looking to be creative.”
TikTok offers a seemingly endless stream of short videos, which many users say is one of the reasons they like the app.
Jackson resident Michael Holder uses TikTok to help him with his gardening hobby.
“For the past year, TikTok has provided me with tips on how to maintain plant life,” said Holder, who is 44. “Yes, I’m a plant dad. Before TikTok, I’d just do basic maintenance. However, now I’ve added a few humidifiers, the right beam of sunlight and different versions of soil moistures to give them better nutrients.”
Holder is one of millions of people throughout the world who are finding TikTok to be useful in their daily lives.
“TikTok saw a significant increase in popularity during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States, with a growth of 180 percent among 15-25-year-old users after the pandemic broke out and people started working and studying primarily from home,” according to Statista, a data tracking platform.
Joshua Neal, 25, of Hattiesburg said he became aware of TikTok during the pandemic.
“When the lockdown happened, I was a bit distraught with how quickly things were changing,” Neal said. “As time progressed, I began to watch cooking videos on TikTok for different recipes that I could try. Although Facebook has different variations I’ve tried, TikTok provides more concrete evidence.”
One of the reasons many people said they prefer TikTok over other social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter is they feel freer to express themselves.
