TikTok is a social network for sharing short videos that offers extensive features to edit them. It is possible to include filters, subtitles, soundtrack, gifs, make cuts and use creativity at will. As with Instagram and Twitter, you can follow other people's profiles and interact, liking their posts, making comments and even sharing via WhatsApp.
TikTok emerged in 2014 developed by a Chinese company and was an app for people to post videos lip-synching to music. In 2019, the app was downloaded 750 million times. Nearly a third of the population in India — the app’s main market — and in the US use TikTok.
Today it is one of the most popular social networks in the world, only behind Facebook and Instagram.
It must be admitted that even if we do not like the dynamics of the network, it is necessary to understand the impact that the popularization of this new way of communicating has brought to different markets, such as architecture. Generation Z, for example (those who were born between 1990 and 2010), currently account for 32% of the world's population, and have high purchasing power. Among these people, the network is their main tool to communicate and express themselves.
Tiktok and Gen Z
A new report from Google points out that most Gen Z people prefer to do Tiktok searches rather than using Google tools. Gen Z users don't tend to type in keywords to do specific searches, but instead seek to discover content in new and more immersive ways.
Our studies show that nearly 40% of young people when looking for a place to have lunch don't go to Google Maps or Search, they go to TikTok or Instagram. — Prabhakar Raghavan, Vice President of Google
Generation Z relates differently to consumption. When thinking about marketing strategies for this audience, you need to keep their core values in mind – authenticity, influence and video dominance.
No wonder they are the main audience in both views and numbers of creators on Tiktok, dominating subjects ranging from fashion and music to urban design and cuisine.
Practical Examples
Profiles that discuss people's relationships with buildings, traffic and urban services in general have been popular on the platform with the hashtag #suburbs – and most interesting of all: this has made Gen Z interested in urban policies and wanting to study city management.
Self-styled “teen architecture” enthusiast Louisa Whitmore, 17, has racked up more than 13 million likes on her @louisatalksbuildings account talking to her followers about cities for youth. Architect Paul Stout from @talkincities reflects on smart solutions for cities and buildings.
Even though their content varies, these creators share a similar goal: to spread the word of urbanism to a new generation and drive policies that promote environmental adaptation and housing affordability.
The hashtag #suburbs already had 176 million views in May 2022 alone and this number is growing more and more due to the creation of new profiles and more people talking about it.
When it comes to interiors and design the impact is no different.
Tay BeepBoop is a freelance designer who bought an apartment in San Francisco and filled it with fun DIY projects, sharing everything on her TikTok. In less than a year Tay reached 1 million followers.
She bought her house during the pandemic and after having many health problems confined and alone, she decided to change the environments so that they became safe and happy spaces. It was so successful that Tay was able to pay off her college student debt with the money earned on the app in just 6 months.
The result is an extremely fun house, created with very cheap solutions such as colorful paintings and stickers, whose videos are documented and posted on the social network. The success is such that her colorful and cheerful style caught the attention of brands such as Otto Studio, in which Tay created her own line of stickers and wallpaper.
Real Estate Market Is Also a Target
Realtors are another audience that has been gaining prominence in the app.
In order to keep up with new clients, workers in this field have abandoned the traditional and rigid strategies of real estate companies for new business models.
Madison Sutton @thenycagent, a NY real estate agent, has over 100k followers on Tiktok and has racked up over 1.5 million likes on her videos. According to her, after she started creating on the app, her number of sales increased fivefold.
How and whether Tiktok will shape the next generation of urban policymakers is an open question, and it can be a daunting task for a short video app, but it is certainly making more people care about cities, housing and urban solutions.
Via Tabulla.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 14, 2022.
