TikTok: The Chinese social media app just hit one billion users

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TikTok has officially entered the big leagues of the world of social media, announcing this week that the company has hit one billion monthly active users.

Tick Tock

With its initial release in September 2016, TikTok's announcement means that it has taken the app just over 5 years to hit the 10-figure club. That's significantly quicker than it took Facebook (8.7 years), WhatsApp (6.2 years), Instagram (7.7 years) and YouTube (8.1 years) to get to the same milestone.

In fact, the only platform that technically reached the milestone faster than TikTok is Facebook Messenger — which obviously had an enormous leg up from the main Facebook platform, which constantly recommended users download the app.

Faster, forever?

If the current trend continues, the data suggests a platform started today could reach the billion mark in just 3 or 4 years as tech adoption cycles continue to get faster. But just how many compelling social media mechanics are left to be discovered?

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