A popular social media app called TikTok rose to fame after transforming from an app formerly known as Musical.ly. During COVID-19, many people found TikTok to be a good way to pass time.

Angie Dakilla, a WSU junior multimedia journalism major, said she is known for her relatable content, which features her college life. She has an audience of about 76,700 followers.  

“I have been on the app since I was a 15-year-old and it was called Musical.ly,” Dakilla said. “Once I started to gain popularity, I learned that college kids also were on the app as people started to recognize me on my campus.”

Baker Banter, a family of TikTokers, received popularity for their positive and fun videos that include siblings named Jenna, Derek and Katy Baker. 

Katy said they are appreciative of the fact that their popularity gives them the opportunity to shine a light on the disability community. 

Derek, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, initially wanted to start a Youtube channel. However, Katy said TikTok “was the place to be.” 

With about 9.9 million likes and about 500,000 followers, Katy said the siblings are glad to make an impact in a positive way.

The Bakers are just one out of thousands of users who upload content to TikTok every day. For many, it is a place to learn dance moves, connect with friends and have a laugh. Most of the creators on the app are college-aged individuals. 

Naomi Lachapelle, a Tyndale University student from Canada, said she created her account in 2019 after another social media site, Vine, had been discontinued. 

Lachapelle said her popularity came after posting videos that consisted of her telling jokes over the supermarket intercom system during closing hours at her job. All her videos in total have over 110,000 likes. 

For some TikTok users, popularity came as a shock because they were hesitant to create an account at first due to peer’s opinions. However, most would agree that the comments they received have been positive.