Study of a Video-sharing Platform: The Global Rise of TikTok

Abstract

TikTok, also called Douyin in China, has been the fastest growing social media platform around the world. To understand why TikTok became so successful, this thesis focuses on studying the strategic choices of TikTok. First, this thesis analyzes how TikTok was born and then expanded, mainly in the Chinese and the U.S. market, its two largest markets. Then it introduces the platform strategies and competitive strategies of TikTok and summarizes TikTok’s existing business models. This thesis also examines the threats and opportunities that TikTok is facing and how TikTok responds to them. Finally, this thesis suggests that the case of TikTok as a Chinese company that has successfully dominated overseas markets can be instructive to other companies seeking to expand into foreign contexts.