TikTok is one of the most popular mobile apps these days. This alone should be enough reason for Facebook to acquire it.
Despite facing bans from countries around the world and allegations of violating user privacy, TikTok is still immensely popular. The video-sharing app is currently the fastest growing social media platform in the United States. With a user base more than a billion, TikTok is no doubt within the immediate target of Facebook.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump said that it would ban TikTok in the country. While this might sound like bad news for TikTok, it is certainly a good one for Facebook.
What history shows
TikTok has been on the social media giant’s target since 2018. It is around the time when TikTok has around 650 million users. Countering TikTok’s rise, the social media giant created a similar app which is called Lasso.
Lasso did not do well in the market and was eventually taken out of the market. When did this not work out, Facebook tried a relatively old tactic of embedding competitor features into its platform.
Tiktok is used as spyware by the Chinese government. The app grabs not only your info but that of friends, family, and acquaintances. It uses that info to find/spy on people critical of the CCP, if they happen to be Chinese or have family in China they go after them. #TiktokBan
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) July 9, 2020
This led to the creation of Instagram Reels. This feature is relatively obscure for many in the United States since it was launched exclusively in Brazil. For those who were fortunate enough to test Reels, they say that it is the exact copycat of TikTok.
Late in June, India imposed a ban on TikTok, citing data security and privacy issues. As expected, Facebook stepped in and launched Reels in the country. As of this writing, the app is also available in France and Germany.
What will Facebook do
Based on statistics, TikTok stands as the second most downloaded app in 2019. The other four apps are WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook, the company that owns all of them. This simply shows that TikTok is a thorn on the side of the social media giant.
Facebook has stayed on the top using a relatively simple strategy. What the company does is acquire the ‘next big thing’ that threatens its dominance in the market. Such is the case with WhatsApp and Instagram.
Many market experts have forewarned TikTok’s meteoric rise. If the social media giant cannot rip it off out of the market, there are still better alternatives. It is important to note that the company has massive resources to acquire TikTok.
Given how Facebook dealt with Instagram and WhatsApp, history suggests that TikTok is a viable asset to acquire.
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