TikTok vs. YouTube

The newest battle of the Internet has begun, bringing creativity, new type of content, and style. This is the war between YouTube and TikTok. YouTube, an American based video sharing website, was created by PayPal employees in 2005. TikTok on the other hand is a fairly new Chinese video-sharing social network released in 2016. TikTok, a newly developed social networking site, has recently been viewed as a competitor for YouTube.

LET’S TALK ABOUT TIKTOK’S SUDDEN GROWTH

TikTok has around 800 million users, and may just be catching up to Youtube’s whopping two billion users. TikTok, however, has been downloaded around 2 billion times, with a big chunk of users being from the U.S., where it was downloaded 80 million times alone. It is present in 153 countries and in 38 languages. What contributed a lot to its growth was a fact that the engagement rate between the audience and creator was much higher than Instagram and Twitter combined. Recently, with many in quarantine owing to the pandemic, there has been an increase in TikTok users and content created to fill up time. Being able to interact with an online community and even learn some dances has encouraged many, raising the numbers.

The parent company, ByteDance’s net worth is around $80 billion, which means that buying TikTok, an app made in only 200 days, proved to be something that immensely benefited them.

CARRYMINATI - AMIR SIDDIQUI DRAMA

Recently, there have been many YouTubers and TikTokers roasting each other, making the opposition greater. This was more emphasized with the CarryMinati and Amir Siddiqui issue, where TikTok Star Amir Siddiqui had posted a video calling out YouTubers and comparing the two mediums. In addition, his short clip contained several accusations against YouTube for plagiarizing TikTok and accusing specific YouTubers of instigating the drama. CarryMinati, famously known for roasting movies and shows took this chance and posted another video in response. He pointed out every grammatical mistake, way of speech, and distinct details in Amir’s video. Amir posted another video in response to his side of the story and about taking a stance in cyberbullying. CarryMinati’s video was soon pulled down due to being accused of harassing followers.

REASONS WHY YOUTUBE WILL STILL REMAIN THE KING

Following this drama, many videos have been created, further encouraging the topic of debate between TikTok and YouTube. Many ask, will TikTok take over YouTube? Although this is an open to table topic with various viewpoints, here are possible reasons that YouTube could continue to rule the internet.

1. YouTube contains quality content of a variety of time lengths

Unlike TikTok, which only allows content within about a minute, YouTube contains content lasting up to 12 hours for verified accounts. This means people can venture on to YouTube to watch movies, educational lectures, music videos, and even travel vlogs. YouTube has played a big role in integrating the world by reaching to all parts of the world, including rural areas in certain parts of Africa and Asia. Not only has this allowed for more spread of culture, but also education. Children in rural areas who have access to a mobile phone are able to learn through educational videos and also join the community.

YouTube grants content of various subjects with freedom of length, which doesn’t inhibit people’s satisfaction. Additionally, YouTube is quite original, especially when compared to its contemporary, TikTok, which thrives on copied content. You will find so many dance remixes, copied from other TikTokers without citing credits. YouTube, on the other hand, has a well developed algorithm for catching plagiarism or copyrighted music. Additionally, YouTube is, more or less, a hub for the talented. More often than not, coming up with original ideas or presenting incredible skills pulls the audiences towards the creators, resulting in a spike of views. On the contrary, in TikTok, one can get millions of views for just doing a quick dance or skit.

YouTube has also created more job opportunities and also proves to be something that creators can earn a living from. Many of the more popular channels earn millions of dollars a year, something TikTok cannot beat. The top videos from T-Series, the top channel on Youtube, has been over viewed 105 billion times, while most-viewed TikTok videos have garnered around 1 billion views.

2. YouTube contains viewers of all ages

TikTok’s viewers mainly consist of the younger generation. Although there are some TikTokers that are older, YouTube contains viewers of all ages, including the elderly. While TikTok is concerned with dances, reactions, and other funny content, YouTube has videos for anyone in all interests. There are TV shows, funny videos, interesting stories, and so many more for people of all interests. Also, you don’t need a phone to view YouTube, and it is harder to navigate through TikTok’s features on a laptop. This is why even young toddlers get acquainted with YouTube quite early, because they can watch on the TV, their parent’s phones, and even on computers.

3. Many are quitting TikTok due to security concerns.

Recently, there has been news urging parents to ban TikTok for their children, as their private information is not secured. In addition, the concern over child predators associated with this app has discouraged people from using this app. In fact, the government of India has banned TikTok for the entire nation after conflict broke out between Chinese and Indian troops at the Galwan Valley. Having past experience with the Chinese government, India took a wise step and eliminated TikTok from the nation. The government also fears that the Chinese government may be taking personal information from Indian TikTok users for their own benefit. TikTok may lose about $6 billion dollars due to this.

PROS OF TIKTOK

Though TikTok will eventually fizzle out and be overshadowed by the quality and reach of YouTube, many users love TikTok more. There are a couple of valid reasons as to why TikTok can be more enjoyable, for some users.

1. Many users find fame more easily with the right marketing skills (hashtags)

With TikTok, it has less content, in comparison to YouTube. People can get fame by using the right hashtags, right music, and editing skills. Teenagers are able to get fame at such a young age by using the right marketing skills, as seen with Charli D’amelio and others. For example, in the “For You” feed, an assortment of videos appear that may not necessarily be those of people who you follow. This is one of the ways users can instantly be famous overnight.

2. Videos are quick and short.

People tend to like small clips because they get to the point and fun. Young adults and teenagers are prone to small and short distractions, which is exactly what TikTok acheives. Exploring content becomes easy due to the short time limit on each of the videos. In addition, people nowadays prefer shorter videos due to busy lifestyles. Watching shorter clips makes one feel better, although it may not end up that way. The calculations behind TikTok that displays videos in the “For You” feed fuels the addictive nature toward this app. It’s algorithm drags you into other content that you are interested in, with just the information of what hashtags you use, the first TikTok video you liked, etc. TikTok also makes the editing process extremely easy. Users can slow down music or dance, or they can speed it up. TikTok also has implemented some features never seen before, including augmented reality.

3. Eye-catching

TikTok allows many challenges to be created quickly and trendy. Challenges such as #savagechallenge or #bottlecapchallenge have been quickly popular due to this app’s eye-catching software. TikTok also makes the editing process extremely easy. Users can slow down music or dance, or they can speed it up. TikTok also has implemented some features never seen before, including augmented reality. One can change features on their face, enlarge their lips, or transform their face to that of an animal. This proves to be something extremely popular among the youth, who have been instrumental in the rise of the video-sharing platform.

TIKTOK OR YOUTUBE?

YouTube, having an audience of all ages is most likely to remain the King until another competitor appears with similar content and style. While TikTok may not gather as many as YouTube, it continues to take on the top trends and challenges that entertain many younger audiences.

Editing Credits: The Eureka Journal Editing Committee