Subject areaChannels and tools
TikTok is the short-video social network launched internationally in 2017, which took hold above all among Generation Z (people born from the late 1990s).
It belongs to the Chinese group ByteDance, which the European Commission designated in 2023 as a gatekeeper (a company that controls access to digital customers). China has a separate version, Douyin, which deeply integrates online shopping with live video.
The main page suggests videos based on viewers' behaviour rather than on followed profiles, so even a young account can reach many people with a single piece of content. For a company this moves attention from follower count to the quality of each video. Many users also treat it as a shopping search engine: a brand that stays away risks missing the moment when a customer discovers a product.
Source: Regolamento (UE) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act); Commissione europea, designazione di ByteDance come gatekeeper del 6 settembre 2023.
An example
A tool manufacturer posts short TikTok videos in which a craftsman solves a practical problem. The profile has few followers, but a useful video can still be shown to people looking for similar solutions, so the marketing manager measures each piece of content on its own.
Related entries
broader entriesthis entry and narrowertwo levels downownership← up · → down
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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