When Kendra Womack uploaded a short video of her aunt’s Labrador Retriever to TikTok last year, she didn’t expect what would happen next.
The social networking app algorithm took the video of the 26-year-old student and part-time barista throwing a yellow squeezing toy at Daisy, who seemed to devour it in one gulp and promote it to users around the world. . Overnight, the 12-second clip went viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. It has since been seen by more than 1.4 million people.
“I was shocked and distrustful,” said Mrs. Womack. “I couldn’t believe how easy it was.”
Ms. Womack and other enterprising smartphone users around the world turned to TikTok as the primary platform to provide a snapshot of the famous internet. At a time when a growing number of social media platforms base their business models on celebrity creators and other popular influencers, TikTok highlights the idea of turning nobles into viral sensations as it tries to regain momentum after a turbulent 2020 .
Some TikTok users, however, get frustrated when a video’s viral fame is hard to play with later videos. And TikTok’s short video format, which was new when it was released less than five years ago, now faces competition from a number of rivals.