If TikTok wasn’t so popular, U.S. lawmakers might not consider the app a national security threat. But it is – it’s what they do.
Unless Chinese parent company ByteDance cuts ties with the app or the US Supreme Court decides to interveneTikTok is set to shut down in the United States on January 19.
The data reveals how the Chinese platform has become an important part of American life in just a few years.
Thanks in part to the app’s ability to keep content interesting and entertaining with every thumb movement, people can’t seem to keep it closed. Since the start of 2020, the percentage of U.S. adults reporting using TikTok multiple times a day has increased from 4% to 20%, according to data intelligence firm Morning Consult.
Meanwhile, the number of people without accounts has declined to the point where the country is now split in two: around 50% of the population uses TikTok; the other 50% do not.
More than just fun dances or workout tips, TikTok has also become a source of information about world events. Recent figures suggest that 17% of American adults rely on the platform for news.
“Since 2020, no social media platform we studied has seen faster growth from Americans turning to it regularly for news,” two Pew Research Center staffers said. concluded in their analysis.
Part of TikTok’s appeal is also the ability to purchase products directly from the app.
Since its debut in September 2023, TikTok Shop has transported millions of goods, particularly in the United States. health and beauty category. Consumer intelligence firm NIQ estimates that U.S. consumers spent more than $1 billion on purchases on TikTok in November alone.
All this activity attracted brands and their advertising dollars.
Market research firm Emarketer predicts that TikTok’s U.S. operations are on track to generate $18.7 billion in advertising revenue by 2026.
Although TikTok U.S. hiring slows as staff departures accelerate in the second half of 2024, data shows a steady increase in enrollment over recent years. The increase from around 6,200 employees at the start of 2019 to nearly 17,000 at the end of 2024 underlines the rapid growth of the platform.
“Over the 2020-2024 period, TikTok grew its U.S. workforce more than any other major social platform,” said Jason Saltzman, chief growth officer at Live Data Technologies, a data research provider. employment and job change.
