TikTok has left social media giant Facebook behind in terms of maximum download in the social media category. TikTok is a Chinese short-video making platform. It is hugely popular and attracts young people. It has now surpassed Facebook as the most downloaded app. According to a global survey of downloads conducted in 2020, TikTok grabbed the first rank in the list of social media providers. TikTok was followed by Facebook. While Facebook was the second most downloaded app, other apps owned by the US-based social media company too figured in the list. WhatsApp became the third-highest downloaded app. The fourth and fight positions were held by Instagram and Facebook Messenger, respectively. Notably, Facebook Messenger was most downloaded in 2019. It was followed by Facebook’s main app and WhatsApp.
Another chatting app Telegram has fetched a high ranking on account of providing better personal privacy. It figured among the top 10 most downloaded apps. Social media platforms saw a rise in demand during the pandemic. This period also saw users giving priority to data privacy. The other apps that figured in the latest list are Snapchat, Telegram, Likee, Pinterest, and Twitter. Notably, TikTok had come under fire from the US government over its links to the Chinese military. However, the app’s popularity grew despite challenges and went on to become the leading download. The pandemic also contributed to the numbers, especially from Europe and South America.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance in 2017 launched the international version of the app. It attracted users from around the world because of its frivolous nature. It offers easy editing tools to make the content engaging. The company follows trends and thus users are attracted to it. The funny videos increase the engagement time. The company claims that it wants to make TikTok a destination where users can learn and entertain. TikTok faced huge criticism in the US over privacy concerns. It even faced a ban by the Trump administration. Earlier in June, the Joe Biden administration revoked orders targeting the Chinese app.
