TikTok’s Competitors Have the Mic, But Do They Have Staying Power?

What It Will Take To Move Gen Z En Masse Away From Their Favorite Platform

After a shaky few weeks in the spotlight, it appears that everyone’s favorite social video app TikTok is here to stay. Whether ownership passes to Microsoft, Oracle or any other players that may emerge in the coming weeks, teens everywhere can rest easy. 

But in the chaos, the door was left open and competitors, many who have been on a silent ascent in recent months, stepped inside hoping to seize market share and gain preference with the highly coveted Gen Z audience. Though, this generation won’t be told what to do and where to post so easily.

Take Instagram’s big bet, Reels, for example. Prior to its launch, Reels threw money at TikTok creators to attract them to the platform and asked top Instagrammers to embrace the new offering. It resulted in a small library of content for users on day one. But, instead of a TikTok clone, Reels created more of a TikTok flop.

The problem is that Millennials carefully crafted Instagram over the years to be a beautifully curated destination (with a side order of memes). So when Instagram users tested the waters with Reels, it looked like less cool TikTok videos. Think when Facebook let your parents in.

Its main shortcoming at launch is that it lacks TikTok’s inherent binge-worthiness since Instagram divides user attention between Reels, IG-TV, Stories, and standard feed posts. In practice, it’s the complete opposite of TikTok’s “For You Page” which draws users in and changed the scroll game for good. What used to be about who you follow (Instagram) turned into what you like (TikTok) and it’s a change for the better as good content is served up even before it reaches a mass of likes.

Granted, Reels has Facebook money to rely on for future iterations, but so far its content and algorithm don’t really stand a chance.

In the past few weeks, similar apps like Triller and byte saw climbing numbers in the App Store, with Triller reaching the top of the charts in 80+ countries. Billboard even launched two new music charts, Top Triller U.S. and Top Triller Global, based on the most popular songs on the app. Triller gained preference from big name influencers like Josh Richards and a certain presidential campaign.

To make the case that the world is wide enough for both Triller and TikTok, co-owner Ryan Kavanaugh argued that the app is the “adult version” of TikTok. Though, part of TikTok’s draw is its ability for anyone to become a celebrity overnight. It doesn’t require a million followers as a prereq so Gen Z-ers can chase internet clout to their heart’s content. Adults care less about the climb to fame which is Triller’s big miscalculation.

Not to be forgotten, Snapchat is launching a music feature. As The Verge writes, “For now, it sounds like there won’t be a feed of videos set to music, and there won’t be a way to see other videos featuring the same song — two features key to TikTok.” Hmm. 

Gen Z became accustomed to TikTok’s practice of “sharing the hype” allowing users to achieve viral posts faster than ever before in internet history. And from the start, TikTok videos were encouraged to be shared outside of the platform which made the style ubiquitous across social media and easily loved.

TikTok also popularized the audio meme. Record something funny and watch others replicate and iterate on it. This feature lowers the bar for users to create content, rather than having to create original ideas themselves every time. It’s crucial for converting ‘content lurkers’ into ‘content contributors’ in an app’s social community and it’s too early to tell whether the competition will master this function the same way TikTok has.

Let’s not forget, some of the world’s most famous internet personalities were home grown on TikTok. Plus, we have the app to thank for the Hype House, the Sway House, and the new ‘House’ format we can’t get enough of. So the app won’t fade away easily, and certainly not in the hearts and minds of Gen Z. While TikTok may have sidestepped major danger, the next few months will remain a critical time period for the app and the competition nipping at its heels.