In the world that I grew up in, there was a constant tussle between Russia and the USA to be recognised (feared?) as the biggest, or strongest, or whatever. Later, new kids on the block started flexing their muscles, with China and North Korea using different tactics to try and knock the crown of the previous incumbents.
The success of what was Naspers was based on its ability to correctly identify where future profits would come from. The book “Fortunes” discusses the rise and rise of this business, based mostly on the acumen of Koos Bekker. Bekker freely admits that the biggest reason for their success was making mistakes and learning from it. Johann Rupert, although inheriting a hugely successful business (in addition to a fortune) had the insight to diversify in time.
Both of these men faced apparently insurmountable obstacles yet succeeded beyond most people’s wildest dreams.
A recent article published by Wunderman Thompson discusses the mind-boggling growth at TikTok.
TikTok’s user base will grow by an anticipated 18.3% this year in the US, bringing the app to 78.7 million total. Outpacing its social media rivals, an anticipated 37.3 million gen Z users will flock to TikTok this year, surpassing Instagram’s gen Z users by 4 million.
TikTok is breaching traditional media boundaries, offering users a space for everything from financial tips, to mental health support, to career advice. We’re taking a deep dive into the unique content driving the app’s viewer growth, offering a lens into the future of education, work, creativity and retail—and what it means for brands.
As far as education goes, for instance, the article states:
TikTok holds clues for the future of education, too. With more than seven billion views, #LearnOnTikTok empowers teachers and students to take an active and entertaining look at the way they learn and teach. Videos include quick grammar lessons, math skills and tricks to remember scientific concepts. Education creator @Iamthatenglishteacher posts quick and engaging grammar lessons for her growing 1.5 million followers in addition to her own students, making TikTok a useful tool to maintain the relationship between student and educator.
Even if it can only succeed in teaching twitterati to spell correctly, I will die a happy man.
Click here to read more on this fascinating concept which turned into a massive global influencer.
