The 8:05

The truth about TikTok

Headshot of Michael Armini
by

When the social media platform TikTok came on the scene in 2018 it was very much the domain of Gen Z. Its short-form videos paired with music were often frivolous or funny or risqué. Or all three. But the app’s extraordinarily powerful algorithm has led to its skyrocketing popularity. It is the fastest growing social media platform by far, racking up more than 1 billion users in just five years. 

Along the way, the platform has changed dramatically. While it still serves up plenty of homegrown silliness, today every major brand, celebrity and news organization has a TikTok presence. This means that when I hop on the app it’s entirely possible that the first thing I’ll see is ABC News anchor David Muir somberly setting up a segment about the war in Israel and Gaza. With a flick of the thumb, next I’ll see a nutritionist giving tips on how to boost one’s HDL cholesterol. Next it’ll be a short clip from the latest Tour de France. 

That powerful TikTok algorithm definitely knows me. My interest in world events, health and bike racing is apparent on what the app calls its “For You” page. Sure enough, a recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that the number of people getting their news from TikTok has quadrupled in three years. I’m often shocked at how often my two Gen Z kids are ahead of me on the latest current events. 

A data graphic titled 'About a third of U.S. adults under 30 now regularly get news on TikTok.' Underneath are five bar graphs that show the % of U.S. adults who regularly get news from TikTok by age group. Those is broken down into age groups. On the left is 'total' followed by 'ages 18-29,' '30-49,' '50-64,' and '65+'. Each of these charts shows an increase from left to right on the bars, which are labeled ''20,' ''21,' ''22,' ''23'.

Another manifestation is the use of TikTok as a search engine. The platform is so overloaded with content that a simple search will yield an avalanche of information. I recently searched for “health benefits of bone broth” and “how to make an old fashioned.” While I suppose those two interests might cancel each other out, I found a massive amount of helpful info. (As with all media consumption, you have to be discerning about source veracity and reliability.)

I’m raising all of this because Northeastern was one of the first universities to launch a TikTok account, making our debut in September 2019. Since then, we’ve racked up tens of thousands of followers and millions of views. In the last fiscal year alone, we surpassed 8 million views, which means that TikTok is one of the most high-profile platforms the university has to showcase what’s happening. 

However, as our social media team is quick to tell me, content on social platforms must be authentic to be effective. And in the case of TikTok, it has to work for the notoriously cringe-averse Gen Z audience. Our TikTok presence is led by the highly creative Cameron Sleeper, who has developed a strategy he calls TRICE, which dictates that all of our TikTok content should be transparent, relatable, instantaneous, community-driven and engaging. 

Using this approach, Sleeper has now posted 622 Northeastern TikToks that leverage the best trends on the platform. President Aoun’s “get ready with me” video, which was released at last spring’s commencement, hit right when the GRWM trend was hot, resulting in more than 54,000 views. When the Barbie movie was at its peak, Sleeper had Northeastern mascot Paws dress up appropriately and pitch official Northeastern Barbie merchandise. After Rihanna performed her hit “Rude Boy” at the 2023 Super Bowl, a TikTok featuring Paws and members of a Northeastern dance troupe seized the moment: 

@northeasternu

Who taught Paws to throw it back 😳 #rihanna #rudeboy #superbowl #superbowlhalftimeshow #rihannahalftimeshow #rudeboychallenge #rudeboyremix #rudeboydancechallenge #dance #danceteam #dancecrew #northeastern #northeasternuniversity

♬ original sound – TonieLoops – TonieLoops🎶

This one post surpassed 2 million views (our highest performing ever) and received 838 comments, including: “Glad I applied here!” and “This is so experiential” and “Literally slayed.” (If you’re over 40, trust me that last comment is the ultimate compliment from Gen Z.) 

NYU business professor Scott Galloway predicts that TikTok is likely to be the largest media company in the world in five years. Bigger than meta, bigger than Alphabet. So it’s probably not a question of if you’ll get on TikTok but when.

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