Social media has become one of the biggest parts of our society over time. Almost everyone all over the world has some form of it whether it be TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
It was not until 2020 came around and COVID-19 hit our society that people began realizing that social media was much more than just a place for content. With the power of social media money began getting easier and easier to get and many people took full advantage of that.
During the infamous quarantine, people began losing jobs left and right since no one was supposed to leave their home. Due to that, society had to find a new way to make a living, and the new and easiest way to do so was through, you guessed it, social media.
So, what do people who can’t go outside do to make money? The answer to that is they dance…no, seriously. TikTok became the most popular app in the world, and for the most part, all everyone is doing is dancing to popular songs getting released as a trend. But, it is pretty genius when you think about it.
In a world where no one can leave their home, there was not much to do except watch TV or scroll through their phones, looking at what is going on in other people’s lives. Therefore, you know everyone will be seeing what you do and even if one person scrolls another 10 people will watch in their place. Just in the year 2020, TikTok had 850 million downloads, and there is no telling how many views they managed to pull in total that year.
Gaining followers is one thing, but it is what you do with all of them that counts. From getting thousands and sometimes millions of views, this can shoot someone to superstardom such as getting them brand deals, TV shows, YouTube series and so much more.
Perfect example, I’m sure we all know her, is the one and only Charli D’Amelio. She got her start on TikTok and just from doing some dances she went beyond viral, at one point holding the record for the most Tiktok followers in the world.
This led to her getting her own TV show featuring her as well as her family, giving them an opportunity to shine alongside her. Then, of course, the TikTok Creator Fund became a thing actually rewarding those who got a large number of views. The Creator Fund would pay those who are involved in it between $0.02–$0.04 per 1,000 views which does not seem like a lot but it adds up over time especially when you pull 1 million views on the daily.
One thing I do believe that TikTok and social media in general has helped with is spreading knowledge. Beyond just dancing and making content yourself, there are people all over the app sharing their experiences with young entrepreneurship.
They make content discussing what they have done and how they did it step by step providing information for people to take in and use for themselves. This part of the app is what I can respect the most. Knowledge and wisdom is not something you come across often so giving people who desire to give to the world a platform to do so is truly wonderful.
Overall, TikTok has truly been a blessing for this generation, giving them a chance to express themselves and their creativity. With how life circumstances have been over the past years, I can say that social media has kept the world moving and without it, who knows where we would be. So, even though being an internet star is not a “real job,” it is beautiful to see what someone can do with just a phone and their mind.