I don’t have an account on TikTok. I’ve never downloaded the app. Yet I see videos that were originally uploaded there, always in portrait format with the logo in the bottom corner. Even if you’ve not used it, you have likely been impacted by it in some way. And if you follow the news, you’ll be aware of some of the controversies.

So even though I never really had much interest, it is interesting.

Chris Stokel-Walker’s “TikTok Boom” [affiliate link] is a nice one-stop-shop to get all that fascinating background information. It is a quick read, with short chapters and a compelling structure that introduces the company, the app, where it came from, and why it’s special. On the back it’s described as follows:

It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.

And that seems apt.

I still have little interest in download the app, but I have increased respect for it.

The book was published in 2021 so it’s missing the latest developments, but the fundamentals are not significantly changed. Stokel-Walker covers the important points around Chinese ownership and cultural impact. I would have liked to have seen more discussion around copyright. There is a hint:

(p173) but found that copyright issues made it not worth his time trying to upload [to YouTube] too often

But it’s not explored as thoroughly as it might have been.

That’s a minor ding for an otherwise well researched and written book.