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TikTok: How did the video-sharing app get so big so quickly?

TikTok's rise has been meteoric. With more than 3 million people a day now downloading the app, its success is down to more than just luck

By Chris Stokel-Walker

11 March 2020

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TikTok’s brief videos may work well for our short-attention spans

AFP via Getty Images

Video app

TikTok

IT HAS rejuvenated the music industry and given birth to a new generation of celebrities, including the likes of Charli d’Amelio, a 15-year-old social media personality and dancer. More than 3 million people a day downloaded video app TikTok in January, according to tracking company Sensor Tower. Its rise to become one of the big beasts of social media has been remarkable, so how did TikTok do it?

The app, which people use to share short videos, often…

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