TikTok is one of the few social media apps whose historic rise to fame broke all records. In only a few years, TikTok was able to attract millions of active users. Currently, it’s the go-to platform for any digital marketer who wants to reach a global audience. But before you channel your marketing budget to TikTok, it’s a good idea to look into the current statistics. Of late, there have been rumors that TikTok is becoming less popular. Are these allegations true, or is it just BS? Keep on reading to find out.
What are the Latest TikTok Statistics?
To find out if TikTok is becoming less popular, let’s start by listing its 2023 statistics.
- At the time of writing this article, TikTok has more than 1.5 billion active users. This makes up over a quarter of the world’s social media users.
- This social media app has more than 3 billion downloads. It was the most downloaded app in 2020.
- Every day, people watch more than a billion videos on TikTok.
- It’s currently the 6th most popular social media platform. It is ahead of Snapchat, Pinterest, Telegram, and Twitter. It’s also giving Facebook some severe competition.
- Even though TikTok started as a social media platform for the younger generation, it’s gradually catching up among internet users aged 30 to 50 years. This age group makes up around 34% of active TikTok users.
- TikTok is available in 154 countries, and you can view it in more than 75 different languages.
- The last stat worth mentioning about TikTok is that it has the highest engagement rates. Pages with at least 100k followers are guaranteed an engagement rate of more than 5%. That is way more than what you can get on Instagram or Twitter.
Is the Number of Active TikTok Users Increasing or Decreasing?
The number of TikTok users has steadily risen since the platform became popular in 2018. At the beginning of 2018, TikTok only had 50 million users. By the end of that year, TikTok realized a 350% rise in users when the number reached 275 million. Later on, in 2019, when the pandemic forced everyone indoors, TikTok’s popularity rose to 500 million users. The number kept rising in 2020, reaching 700 million users.
In 2021, people thought that TikTok’s popularity would fade because the pandemic was subsiding, and more people were resuming normalcy. However, the number kept growing, and in September 2021, the number of active TikTok users reached 1 billion. Today, this figure is estimated to be around 1.5 billion.
Looking at the history of active TikTok users, do you think it’s becoming less popular? Actually, what’s happening is that more people are joining TikTok, even the older generation. And marketers predict that TikTok will soon join the top five social media platforms.
How Does TikTok’s Popularity Compare to Other Social Media Platforms?
TikTok is the 6th most popular social media platform, with 1.5 billion active users. Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp have more users. These three have crossed the 2 billion mark. Closely above TikTok are WeChat and Instagram.
Experts believe that TikTok will soon beat Instagram and Facebook in popularity. Instagram, of late, is becoming as uncool as Facebook. Therefore, Gen Zs are gravitating more toward TikTok. Despite Instagram’s attempt to introduce Reels in 2020, TikTok remains the go-to platform for short video content. Also, many social media users agree that TikTok has a better algorithm than Instagram. Also, unlike Instagram, which is optimized for influencers, anyone on TikTok can go viral. This makes it a lucrative platform for startups and new businesses.
What are the Most Popular Niches on TikTok?
The entertainment industry in TikTok is booming. It has more than 550 billion hashtag searches. A few years ago, Facebook and Instagram were the main sources of entertainment in social media. However, these two platforms have been heavily commercialized with adverts and marketing campaigns. Many people love TikTok because it’s a source of raw entertainment.
The second most popular niche is dance. This was the main niche when TikTok became popular in 2018 and 19. However, it was overtaken by entertainment. Other popular niches include pranks, fitness, DIY tutorials, recipes (the famous Mukbangs), pets, and life hacks.
If your business falls under any of the above niches, you have a higher chance of running successful and effective marketing campaigns on this platform.
Will TikTok Face a Similar Fate as Vine?
Do you guys remember Vine? The social media app that featured short comedy videos? It was popular from 2015 to around 2017. Vine is one of the most short-lived social media applications ever. That’s shocking, considering that it had over 200 million followers.
There are a lot of similarities between Vine and TikTok. Both became popular over a short duration of time, and they both aired the same type of content. Therefore, this begs the question of whether TikTok may experience a similar fate.
The social media world is unpredictable. TikTok could become irrelevant in the next few months. Internet users are a funny lot. They often get bored pretty easily. Therefore, you can’t be certain of their behavior. But if you look at the statistics, TikTok seems to be getting more popular. There is a very small chance that it may face a fate similar to Vine.
Is TikTok Becoming Less Popular? (The Bottom Line)
In my professional opinion, TikTok’s popularity will increase in the next year or two. But at some point, its growth will stagnate. There is a high probability of TikTok beating Instagram in popularity. However, this platform is also facing some severe setbacks.
Last year, there were discussions about banning TikTok in the US, EU, Canada, and Denmark. Currently, TikTok is officially banned in several countries like Syria and Taiwan. If TikTok were to be banned in the countries mentioned above, it would lose many users.
The other setback TikTok is facing is the spying scandal. Towards the last quarter of 2022, TikTok was accused of spying on US users. Such allegations can easily lead to its ban in some western countries.
If you are a business owner or sales executive interested in TikTok marketing, I would advise you to give it a shot. The future of TikTok should be the least of your concerns. I usually tell my clients to never put their eggs in one basket. As you focus on TikTok marketing, you should also engage in other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This diverse approach guarantees a continuous stream of leads and clients even if one platform loses its popularity.
However, from current statistics, TikTok will retain its popularity for the next few years. Therefore, nothing should stop you from utilizing this platform to get more clients. Should you face any challenges with TikTok marketing campaigns, you can always contact me for professional consultation. I can also offer valuable insight on how you can best optimize your TikTok marketing strategies.
