Rise of TikTok in Bangladesh: From enjoying bite-sized entertainment to appreciating innovative creators

With the fancy transitions, the creative freedom, and the millions of ways one can perform through the dance and the likes, TikTok has taken over with its solid platform that endorses inventiveness of content, giving each individual an opportunity to create a unique identity.

While a lot of people may conceive TikTok as the shore of cringeworthy content that deserves zero to minimal attention, TikTok has really taken the uproar after the sudden change in its algorithm where a user has the option of choosing what content they like and want on their ‘for you’ page or commonly as- feed, which is influenced by the type of videos and content an individual likes, comments and interacts with. You can very well experience the zest of a personalised ‘for you’ page.

The imaginations coming to a full circle is the absolute delight the young generation truly dig in now. The more fun bits you add to your creation, the more likely it will get a surmount of attention. However, it is no different for the likes of aesthetics. Artists aren't confined to a box when it comes to curating videos with hours of effort. The engagement for these creators outmatches what they could gain on any other platform. Users are engaging with fellow content creators, and boosting their continuance of making fun short clips make it worth doing trends and challenges.

With variations in music, people can choose to video clip their moments in a day, and since most people have recently flocked towards this platform, the spur of showcasing talent is rather impressive.

Maisha Sadia, who goes by the name @maishasadia1809 on her TikTok, has recently joined the platform growing over thousand followers overnight says, "For me, TikTok is a brilliant media for portraying the talents and creative skills. I've been into cooking and baking since childhood and even before using TikTok I used to make small compilations of my cooking and baking process. But I indulged in creating TikTok, my opportunities expanded more and I found a plethora of variations. I watch many people on this platform doing creative stuff, it really inspires me to do more. If one person shares his/her work on TikTok it can inspire 10 other people to share their work and inspiration is a big thing while starting a new venture."

Maisha also enjoys seeing other people following different trends but does not always feel pressured to follow the trends herself, as her priority is enjoying the content she makes. Leaping through the exciting features of TikTok, one is just not limited to introducing classification in the videos they make. The filters, editing tools, stickers, image, and video recognition tools are an entire package for one to explore through and plant their imaginations in front of the world.

The energy in the platform radiates the sift of humor, art, and talent- championing an individual's perfects and imperfections and yet getting the appreciation of the masses.

"I felt so confident when I figured the index, the creation, and the content I was putting in, was appreciated by so many. The upliftment you get in this medium is incredible. I started making TikTok during the pandemic in 2020 and found myself to be incredibly drawn towards the experimental liberty of this platform. The content you see is mostly out of the ordinary and you'd find yourself meshing in your feed diverging in new to newer clips full of visionary trails every minute." Says Tazreen Khan, who goes by @typicaltazzz on the platform and is a young popular TikToker amongst the Gen Z of Bangladesh.

Tazreen also adds, "one has to make sure the lighting's good, the content is actually worth people's time because one has to put their message out in a video of shorter time frame compared to Youtube or any other medium. A lot of people may find it challenging. And with that time frame, one has to make sure that everything is pitch-perfect in that entire 15 seconds; and it is not as easy as it might seem."

TikTok is said to embrace a niche of every kind, and that's what sets it apart. From cosplaying your favorite characters, trying to cool transitions to making simple small clips of your day, it has room for anyone and everyone. With over 1 billion users and recurring growth, TikTok has seen a growth of users increased by about 75 per cent from last year alone.

Although people of all age groups are equally active and participate in making a notable presence in the platform, The medium manifests the large portion of the creative surfeit being catered by Gen Z in Bangladesh. The market now immensely values the presence of Gen Z since they're the primary audience of the market who are responsible for shaping the business and the sales that come with it. Gen Z are the technology experts and the epitome of self-projection that can be put into leveraging brand value. Marketers and brands often approach these young creators to promote their business and add value to their respective brands. The influencer marketing trend in TikTok is another section of the many domains that businesses in Bangladesh are resorting to.

Being a micro-blogging app, it does not need much attention span. Hence, the business world can very much take advantage of advertising their brands and products in that standard time frame, and many businesses are just doing exactly that.

Irtifa Tasnim Punno, who uses her personal account @Punn0o, is a young businesswoman taking the utmost advantage of the algorithm and the dynamics of TikTok and markets her talents, making handmade resin accessories and knitted crochets, says, "With the rise of TikTok is much more apparent with the number of increasing active users on the platform every day. I've been in TikTok for a very short time, and the engagement I've gotten from this very platform outsmarts any other platforms I've been at, in a fairly longer period of time. It has helped my business grow beyond the limits I've had expectations from it."

To the query of how much effort one has to give in order to market their products on TikTok, Punno says, "Sometimes it does get weary trying to manage everything single-handedly, starting from making the accessories from scratch to packaging them and then recording them to feed the customers the due diligence. At the end of the day, the short clips I make, presenting my products on TikTok seems super gratifying as I enjoy seeping into the videos I make through and through. It indeed makes me really proud and happy."

The strong connection that is planted amongst creators and users in this very platform is indeed very incredible. As long as the flourishing creativity makes its place in a free and accessible platform, the world will know the bits and molds of the perception of individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, sharing interests that know no bounds.

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