Influencers on TikTok

An individual’s FYP on TikTok may be characterized by their liking, however, due to the application’s ability to spread fast information and appeal to groups, influencers have taken over the application and the ability to make money from posting short videos has grown in popularity. Although fame used to be limited to movie stars and Grammy contenders, TikTok gives all creators the opportunity to live a famous life- followed by paparazzi and published in celebrity gossip magazines.

From a regular High School student in Connecticut to the most followed person on TikTok with over 100 million followers, sixteen-year-old dancer, Charli D’Amelio, has a Dunkin’ drink named after her and a number of devoted fans. Other top celebrities that credit TikTok for their fame include Addison Rae, Bella Poarch, Dixie D’Amerlio, among many others.

Many grew in popularity due to TikTok creator houses — mansions where TikTok influencers live together and create videos for their personal and group social media platforms. However, the idea of a content house is not new and was used during YouTube’s prime as collaboration houses like Jake Paul’s Team 10 and the Clout House appeared years before. TikTok creator houses formed due to users’ desire to be like popular Gen-Z personalities and TikTok’s exponential growth in the number of users. The Hype House, one of the first TikTok creator houses, was formed in December 2019 as a group of social-media influencers who joined forces to support their TikTok stardom and create even more viral content. From there, more houses formed with more creators, and their popularity took off from “small-town” publishing users to group icons and widely recognizable faces.

Back in July of 2020, TikTok announced their new initiative The Creator Fund Program, a resource that promised to pay eligible TikTokers for their videos. At the start, the program planned to distribute over $200 million to users over the age of 18, who met the amassed followers, views, likes, and legal age requirements. The Creator Fund was a new way for creators to make money by dancing, publishing funny or relatable videos, and competitively trying to turn followers into loyal fans. Many larger corporations have partnered with creators for branding initiatives and advertising- a two way street of shouting out brands for their materials while brands give free merchandise to their creators.

In order to become famous on TikTok, an individual must have content that is posted daily that fits their message they want to give off by identifying a niche and a specific follower hub.

TikTok has transformed the entertainment industry. Now, some of the most popular creators have become “overnight” millionaires and some of the most famous faces across the globe.