Log in
Social Media

How TikTok used science to grow fast

Ever hear of Bernoulli’s principle?

Posted

How did that happen?

In physics, Bernoulli’s principle explains why it’s faster to inflate a bag by blowing from near it, not directly into it because it pulls in the surrounding air. (Here’s an explainer.)

TikTok took advantage of this by incrementally increasing its video length to 10 minutes over the last couple of years, up from its original 15-second limit.

Paired with a user experience psychologists say is no different than a Vegas slot machine, the move helped TikTok pull in more content, more eyeballs, and more money.

Speaking of money…

Ad dollars follow eyeballs, and data from Similarweb shows TikTok’s ads site saw a 200% increase in Q1 traffic. This year, the company’s expected to triple revenue to $12B.

But it has a lot to figure out. It’s tinkering with creator monetization.

"Every day we see culture created on TikTok," states TikTok in a post on its newsroom page. "Small moments can turn into trends that entertain and inspire us -- moments that make us laugh, think, or simply allow us to feel seen and heard. At the heart of TikTok is an entertainment experience fueled by the imagination of communities and creators and powered by discovery."

Data privacy is top of mind — heck, it’s banned in India. And former employees report navigating 85 hours of meetings per week outside of their normal work. Eighty-five!

TikTok, Social Media, The Hustle, Bernoulli’s principle

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here