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Cultural impact of TikTok
Since its global debut in September 2016, TikTok has experienced explosive growth, crossing 2 arab downloads worldwide by October 2020. The platform’s influence has extended across social, political, and cultural spheres, reshaping digital trends. Notably, it emerged as the most-visited website globally in 2021, surpassing even Google. TikTok hosts a vibrant mix of content domains such as music, fitness, beauty tips, educational tutorials, and gaming—each appealing to distinct audience segments and driving its widespread popularity.
Cultural impact[edit]
Music[edit]
TikTok's transformative role in shaping the modern music landscape has been widely recognised by global media. A prime example is American rapper Lil Nas X, whose track *Old Town Road* became a cultural phenomenon after going viral on TikTok during 2019. He openly credited the platform, stating, “TikTok really boosted the song… I owe them big time.” Similarly, Doja Cat’s meteoric rise is tied to the app — her track Say So sparked “one of the most iconic dance crazes in TikTok history” (Insider, 2020), propelling it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Music magazine Pitchfork highlighted her “unparalleled TikTok dominance”, noting how the platform transformed her from a niche artist to a household name.
Initially, TikTok restricted video durations to 3 seconds–1 minute, pushing creators to use sped-up song snippets to maximise content within the time limit. This trend grew so influential that artists like SZA and Steve Lacy released official high-tempo versions of their tracks after fan-made remixes trended on the platform, blending user creativity with industry strategy.
TikTok has become a cultural time machine, reviving decades-old tracks through viral trends. A striking example is Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, which stormed back into the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020—40 years after its original release—after a user’s skateboarding video featuring the song went viral. As Insider’s Dan Whateley observed, the platform lets songs “resurface organically, even after vanishing from mainstream play for generations”.
In a landmark collaboration, Billboard and TikTok introduced the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in September 2023—a dedicated ranking for tracks gaining traction on the app in the U.S., highlighting its role as a music-industry trendsetter.
However, the app’s dominance has sparked concerns. Artists like Halsey have criticised the “relentless pressure” to engineer viral moments. In 2022, she revealed her label delayed releasing her music until she agreed to “stage a fake TikTok trend”, exposing the content treadmill creators face to stay relevant.
News and information[edit]
TikTok is emerging as an increasingly popular source of news among Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, the share of U.S. adults who regularly turn to TikTok for news surged from 3% in 2020 to 10% in 2022, and reached 14% in 2023. Among U.S. adult TikTok users, the percentage relying on the platform for news rose from 22% to 33% during the same period. While these figures are still lower compared to Facebook and Twitter users who access news through those platforms, it's worth noting that the proportion of users getting their news from Facebook and Twitter has consistently declined each year from 2020 to 2022.
Moreover, a growing number of Generation Z internet users are beginning to prefer TikTok as their primary search engine instead of Google.
Politics[edit]
With TikTok's rising popularity, an increasing number of users are joining the platform, leading to the dissemination of various political ideologies. It has evolved into a political arena where young people frequently engage with far-right content. This environment has provided far-right supporters with a venue to normalize radical viewpoints. Statistics indicate that around 14% of adults rely on TikTok for their election and political news. TikTok has repeatedly stated its commitment to banning and removing hateful content associated with far-right ideologies. Nevertheless, many instances of hateful content—pertaining to issues of religion, identity, and race—have gone unnoticed by the platform until December 2019. Although there have been improvements in user protection, hateful videos still manage to evade detection. Furthermore, due to TikTok's algorithm-driven system, users may inadvertently be exposed to more hateful content without their intention.