TikTok The Future

From Vine to Musically to TikTok, short videos have been an ongoing trend for more than five years now and they keep evolving. We sat down with Karina Boenardi, a popular TikTok user, as she shares her thoughts on how short video trends have changed and what is to come for TikTok.

Written by: Natalie Yee

Photos by: Karboen

Can’t quite get enough of TikTok or why it got so popular? Short videos have been around for more than five years now, and they pander to the short attention spans of its viewers. 

First, it started with Vine. Created in January 2013, it allowed its users to create and post videos either for six seconds till a minute long. Boasting about 200 million users per month, the platform was unfortunately shut down four years later and turned into a camera app called, Line Camera. 

Later, a new player to the game was introduced, TikTok was created in September 2016. Tiktok allows its users to create 15-second long videos, providing them with filters to give their videos an enhanced touch. TikTok has garnered the attention of many with its likeness to the now unavailable, Vine. 

In an interview with verified comedian on TikTok, Karina Boenardi, 20, she spoke of how TikTok is a platform that allowed its users to express themselves. Karina is Indonesian and currently studying in Singapore for her diploma and degree. 

She shared: “Through TikTok, I can express myself more and I can make people laugh instantly and that honestly makes me happy. Seeing people happy makes me happy.” 

Karina is no stranger to the short video scene, being a former user of both Vine and Musically, she considers herself a very creative person and is not afraid to show it.

With about 149K followers on TikTok, Karina first started uploading short videos on Vine in 2015, and then moved to Musically (now TikTok) in Oct 2016, when it was first launched. 

According to her, Vine and TikTok are similar because they allow users to create and share short videos online. Both apps channel creativity in its users and over the years, TikTok has made things more convenient for its users as compared to Vine. 

Karina shared: “Watching someone’s video makes me think it's interesting and creative. Why can’t I do that too?” 

TikTok is a creative platform and it has the power to shift the perspectives of people through influencing them to come up with creative content. There are many people out there who would love to share their own content but may not be confident enough to do so, said Karina.  

“Watching people do it makes you feel like you want to show it to the world too,'' said Karina. 

TikTok has been well-received by more than 500 million active users currently, because it is a quick source of entertainment to many. TikTok has an algorithm based on its users’ likes, allowing them to see more of the videos they like, which not only kills their boredom but satisfies them too. When asked about the future of TikTok, Karina feels that TikTok is most definitely here to stay and with more features.

Just like how Shawn Mendes and Cameron Dallas have gained fame over Vine, the exact same thing may happen through TikTok as well. Karina shared how she was offered to be a radio deejay in Indonesia after her TikTok profile was discovered. She said: “TikTok is like a report card. It shows people the skills and creativity that I have and it is for my viewers to make the final judgement.”

Short videos have come a long way and will continue to stay relevant. Just like how TikTok is the new Vine with new and improved upgrades, we can surely look forward to an increase in more quality content out there.