How TikTok’s rise sparked a short-form video race

TikTok's grip on the short-form video market is tightening, and the world's biggest tech platforms are racing to catch up. Since launching globally in 2016, ByteDance-owned TikTok has amassed over 1.12 billion monthly active users worldwide, according to Backlinko. American users spend an average of 108 minutes per day on the app, according to Apptoptia. TikTok's success has reshaped the social media landscape, forcing competitors like Meta and Google to pivot their strategies around short-form video. But so far, experts say that none have matched TikTok's algorithmic precision. "It is the center of the internet for young people," said Jasmine Enberg, vice president and principal analyst at Emarketer. "It's where they go for entertainment, news, trends, even shopping. TikTok sets the tone for everyone else." Platforms like Meta 's Instagram Reels and Google's YouTube Shorts have expanded aggressively, launching new features, creator tools and even considering separate apps just to ... Read full article.