TikTok Overtakes Instagram: What Can We Learn?
“Here I am all alone… Looking for you, not knowing where you are…”
Sounds familiar, right? Like I’ve heard it somewhere before.
Be honest, didn’t your hips start swaying when you heard the remix version of this song? Mine didn’t, though.
……
But my head and my big toes suddenly started moving on their own (to borrow a term from netizens), and these two index fingers suddenly started moving clockwise in a circular motion while pointing upward
; D
If for some reason you haven’t heard the snippet of the song titled “Kemarin” that was remixed and went viral all over Indonesia, so we’re on the same page, please listen to the song here first while continuing to read this article.
When the song “Kemarin” was first released by the band Seventeen, it didn’t really take off like this. But once it was remixed into a TikTok version and paired with the “blender dance,” the song suddenly exploded in popularity. By the way, if you don’t know what the blender dance is, check out this video.
The combination of the “blender dance” with the “Kemarin” remix isn’t the only trend sweeping Indonesian netizens. Previously, there was also the “Jellyfish Dance” craze, and the viral hit “Entah Apa yang Merasukimu,” remixed by the so-called DJ Gagak.
When TikTok started “taking over” Indonesia around 2018, I heard a lot of people—including PR professionals and marketers—who viewed TikTok as a tacky, low-brow platform, suitable only for the lower economic class or “alay” teens.
Two years ago, I myself predicted that TikTok wouldn’t last long—unlike other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram.
But it turns out I was WRONG BIG TIME!!
TikTok content is sometimes corny, often funny, and a bit sexually provocative, but one thing’s for sure—it’s addictive.
The growth of this social media platform from the Chinese startup Bytedance has ultimately shattered many people’s dismissive views, as we can see from the following facts about TikTok throughout 2019.
- TikTok is the second most popular social media platform in the world, with over 700 million downloads—second only to WhatsApp—and has surpassed both Facebook Messenger and Instagram. (Data – Sensor Tower 2019)
- TikTok is also the fastest-growing social media platform in the world, having been downloaded 1.5 billion times since its launch in 2017, with over 500 million monthly active users.
- TikTok isn’t just for “alay” users and the lower economic class. Data shows that TikTok was the most downloaded app on the App Store, with 33 million downloads throughout 2019. In Indonesia, niche celebrities like Luna Maya, Agnez Mo, Imam Darto, and Jelfi Blezynski have now transitioned into TikTok creators.
- TikTok’s user base is shifting toward a more mature audience. In the U.S., TikTok was initially used by only 2.7 million adults. This figure nearly tripled a year later, and there are now 14.3 million adult TikTok users in the U.S.—a fivefold increase in less than five years. From the abundance of “blender dance” videos out there, we can also see that many office workers and even civil servants are creating TikTok videos.
- TikTok is about to catch up to Instagram. Not only is its popularity spreading like wildfire, but the average time spent on the TikTok app has reached 53 minutes per day. This is on par with Instagram, higher than Snapchat (49 minutes), and second only to Facebook (58 minutes per day).
TikTok’s rapid rise over the past three years should serve as an interesting insight for marketers and PR professionals in Indonesia as they seek effective ways to communicate with millennials—those afraid of missing out (FOMO), those who want to be seen and heard, and those who are highly tech-savvy.
Moreover, TikTok’s magic has already expanded into new markets and reached a new generation with characteristics different from those of millennials. It should be more niche, but it still can’t escape TikTok’s “Jellyfish Dance.”
Returning to the original question: what can we learn from this TikTok-style “coup”? The way I see it, internet users are changing rapidly. Most people—not just millennials—will find it hard to avoid FOMO. Like it or not, we must adapt to the new ways of communicating favored by TikTok creators and viewers.
Second, nobody is safe—not even the King. When you’re leading the pack, never stop innovating. Read the market, then adjust. Being a market leader means having plenty of opportunities and resources to create new innovations and improvements. What needs improvement isn’t just what failed in the past, but also what succeeded. This is the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, which simply means constant improvement. At Media Buffet, for example, we’re always looking for room for improvement—even though the temptation to stick with a winning formula is incredibly hard to resist.
Third, people movements represent a huge market potential, even if they won’t be easy at first. Several people movements have already succeeded in turning awareness into behavioral change. Will PR professionals and marketers be content with doing things the same old way, or will they be willing to get their hands dirty to explore something new?
Fourth, don’t focus too much on “the BIG boys” alone—especially just because of their big names. Dark horses with an underdog mentality can be more reliable than big-name players.
Any thoughts on TikTok’s rise to prominence? Any lessons to be learned? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
