Tik Tok: Gen Z’s Fast Track to Fame

After a year of Tik Tok’s rapid success, influencers from the app are looking to establish their career in the industry. From creating music to designing clothing lines, Tik Tok influencers are working past 15 second videos to make their names known. 

By Isabelle Delostrinos
Culture Columnist

The internet has changed the game of becoming famous. It has given us famous bloggers, Youtubers, Instagrammers, Viners, and more. Influencers from various platforms reach a certain point in their career where they can venture past the one that built them. Liza Koshy gained momentum on Vine back in 2013, which opened up opportunities such as acting, hosting television shows, and creating her own makeup brand. Another example of this would be Youtuber Jake Paul. He scored a role on Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark and is somehow now a boxer. 

Within the past year, the social media platform that creates instant celebrities has been Tik Tok. The app was released in February 2019 as a merge with Musical.ly. It acquired all of the existing users, making it a seamless transition for the platform. Similar to Vine and Musical.ly, users could record and edit short videos to songs and sounds. This created a meme-able environment, appealing to audiences of all ages. The app already proved its success by sustaining over millions of users just a year after its release. But the global lockdown mandates skyrocketed Tik Tok’s popularity, making it one of the most used apps in 2020. 

An influencer that rose from Tik Tok was Charli D’Amelio. In the heat of the pandemic, D’Amelio was known for her effortless dancing. Short choreographed dances to current songs was a strong trend on the app, and D’Amelio was labeled the queen of this. Posting daily videos and collaborations with other “Tik Tokers” grew her fan base to 124.1 million followers. As soon as it was possible, D’Amelio made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and even collaborated on a Tik Tok dance with J. Lo. Her rise to fame allowed her to move her family out of Connecticut and into the heart of the industry, Los Angeles. 

The D’Amelio Show recently debuted on Hulu, being one of the first shows to be based on a Tik Tok celebrity. The show consists of thirty five minute episodes following the lives of Charli and Dixie D’Amelio. The family looks to use this show as a way to let fans and the public into their lives. Not everything is as it really seems, and the first episode sheds light on some of the issues that come with rapid success and internet fame. Along with the show, the family works to expand their empire by creating their own clothing lines, continuing partnerships with makeup brands, and jump-starting Charli’s dance career and Dixie’s music career. 

Besides the D’Amelios, another Tik Tok star looking to create a space for herself in the industry is Addison Rae. After dropping out of college and moving to Los Angeles,Rae founded her own makeup brand Item Beauty. She was later seen hanging out with Kourtney Kardashian, which stirred the internet up with this unexpected friendship. Last month, she made her acting debut as the star of Netflix’s He’s All That reboot. And these are just some of the actions Rae has taken to grow her resume. 

It seems as though we are witnessing Tik Tok stars finding their niche in the actual, real world entertainment industry. Some are trying out a music career while others design their own merch. But it looks like the wave of Tik Tok influencers to celebrities will continue to grow these next few years. This past April, it was rumored that Netflix would be releasing a reality show based on the Hype House, a content creator house containing Tik Tok influencers. Facebook Messenger looks to promote one of their new features, Watch Together, by streaming creator Avani Gregg’s personal talk show. Although these influencers may not be known outside of their beloved Tik Tok posts, they are definitely working hard to make their mark and create a lasting career in entertainment.