This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
Launched in September 2017, TikTok has become a global phenomenon, with 800 million users worldwide, including 40% from India, its largest international market.
For 20-year-old Israil Ansari, a school dropout from India, TikTok has been a ticket to fame, with two million followers glued to his oddball dancing and rainbow hairstyles.
"I get extremely excited watching people react to my videos on TikTok," Ansari told AFP in Mumbai, saying he tries to produce clips that make people happy.
With 1.5 billion downloads worldwide, TikTok has outperformed Instagram, and its playfulness and off-the-cuff humor have turned out to be its trump card.
Experts say anyone can use TikTok to tell their own story in under 60 seconds, winning viewers, likes, shares, and eventually, stardom.
However, the app has also faced controversy, including claims that it was encouraging the spread of child pornography, and has been banned in Bangladesh and briefly blocked in Indonesia over blasphemy concerns.
Additionally, concerns have been raised about the app's Chinese origins and its potential to serve as a soft power arm of Beijing, with TikTok facing a national security investigation in the United States.
Despite the scandals, the appetite for TikTok shows no sign of easing, with 22-year-old Azeez Ahmed Siddiqui saying, "From morning to late in the night, I only watch TikTok videos."
