San Francisco | TikTok took the world’s most downloaded mobile app site in 2020, ahead of Facebook and its reporters, in a sign that the pandemic has doubled the success of the lightweight video platform beyond its first audience, teens.
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According to the specialized company App Annie, the application owned by the Chinese group ByteDance came to the top of downloads last year, followed by Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and Messenger, which are four services of the Californian social networking giant. Next comes Snapchat and Telegram.
TikTok had a difficult month at the end of 2019, when former US President Donald Trump tried to block it through executive orders that accused it of being used to spy on Americans on behalf of Beijing.
But this has not tainted his popularity, which has exploded in favor of health restrictions and lockdown measures.
In June, Joe Biden announced the cancellation of his predecessor’s executive orders, while asking his administration to investigate the real risks posed by Internet applications owned by certain foreign powers.
The percussive video platform, often musical or humorous, claims nearly 700 million monthly users worldwide.
Facebook keeps a big lead: more than 3.5 billion people use at least one of its four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp) every month.
But Instagram and other networks copied the format of short videos, with easy-to-use special effects, that made TikTok very successful.
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Evan McKenzie is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. His work aims to provide useful information, timely updates, and relevant stories presented in an accessible and reader-friendly way.