TikTok reports it has 500 million active users a month, making it one of the most used social media apps in the world.

抖音公佈其每個月有 5 億個活躍用戶，是全世界最多人使用的社群媒體應用程式之一。

I just downloaded it myself, and I can't take my eyes off the videos. So what is TikTok's secret?

我剛剛也下載了抖音，裡頭的影片讓我目不轉睛，究竟它成功的秘訣到底是什麼呢？

TikTok is a mobile-first platform for creating and sharing short videos.

抖音是一個提供使用者製作及分享短片的手機優先平台。

Most tend to be about 15 seconds long, though the app does allow videos up to 60 seconds in length.

多數長度為 15 秒，雖然上傳影片長度最多可到 60 秒。

The platform's story began in September 2016, when its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance launched the app in China under the name, "Douyin."

該平台起源於 2016 年的九月，當時它的北京母公司「字節跳動」在中國發佈這個應用程式，起名為「抖音」。

About a year later, ByteDance released the app internationally - but with new branding and a new name, TikTok, though it still goes by Douyin at home.

大約一年後，字節跳動發佈了這個應用程式的國際版，不過換了一個新的商標和名字 —— TikTok，在中國則沿用舊名「抖音」。

In 2018, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly for a reported $1 billion.

在 2018 年，字節跳動據傳以 10 億美金的價格收購了 Musical.ly。

Despite being headquartered in Shanghai, the app, mostly used for lip-syncing, was popular with American teenagers.

該應用程式的總部雖然位於上海，在美國青少年間卻非常流行，尤其用於對嘴。

Musical.ly users were eventually migrated to TikTok.

Musical.ly 的使用者最終轉去 TikTok。

And now the app boasts more monthly active users than Twitter, Snapchat, or LinkedIn.

現在該應用程式的每月活躍用戶已超過推特、Snapchat 或 LinkedIn。

Though it still has a way to go before catching up to Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

雖然距離追上臉書、YouTube 和 Instagram 還有一段距離。

ByteDance, which owns several other apps too, is now valued at $75 billion, making it the most valuable start-up on the planet.

字節跳動同時擁有多項應用程式，公司價值達 750 億美金，成為全球最有價值的新創公司。

TikTok was initially ad-free, but it now supports different advertising formats for selected markets as it attempts to monetize its growing user base.

TikTok 最開始並無安插廣告，但現在開始支援特定市場的各種廣告形式，企圖從廣大的用戶群中收益。

Besides counting advertisers such as clothing brand Guess, and food delivery app Grubhub, the app is able to mobilize its influential content creators to generate videos for sponsored "hashtag challenges."

除了納入服飾品牌 Guess 和食物外送應用程式 Grubhub，該平台也動員具影響力的內容創作者，替受贊助的「主題標籤挑戰」製作影片。

That's probably why TikTok made its debut this year at the world's biggest advertising festival, Cannes Lions.

這或許是為何 TikTok 能在今年首度參與全球最大的廣告節 —— 坎城國際創意節。

And while executives are sitting down for meetings with brands and agencies, they're hoping it's their content creators that will win them over.

主管們坐下和品牌機構會談時，同時希望他們的內容創作者能夠獲得他們青睞。

That video was created by Anna O'Brien, a TikTok content creator, who together with fellow creator, Andrea Okeke, were featured at the festival.

在創意節現場放映的影片由 TikTok 內容創作者 Anna O'Brien 和 Andrea Okeke 協同製作。

They are some of the app's most popular creators, with more than five million followers between them.

他們是該平台上最受歡迎的幾位創作者，擁有超過 500 萬追蹤人次。

I had used other social channels, and I was feeling really stagnant, like I felt stuck.

我有用其他的社群平台，但有一種受困、停滯不前的感覺。

So I was like I'm gonna go on this new channel where no one knows me so I can do whatever I want and there's no judgement.

所以我就想說，我要到這個沒有任何人認識我的新平台，可以做任何我想做的而不會受到批評。

All the sudden, I just blew up. So I literally gained a million followers in about the space of six weeks.

一瞬間，我就突然爆紅了。我在六個禮拜的時間內就累積了一百萬的追蹤數。

Content creators have been the foundation of TikTok's success.

內容創作者是 TikTok 成功背後的一大功臣。

These users have access to a wide range of songs, effects, and filters to both create and share short form, entertaining videos.

這些用戶有大量的歌曲、影片效果和濾鏡，可以用來製作和分享有趣小短片。

These self-created videos are quick, cringeworthy, and often downright bizarre - a sharp contrast to most social media apps, which tend to focus on highlights or showing the best version of ourselves.

這些自製影片簡短而且內容通常詭異、令人尷尬，迥異於大多數的社群媒體應用程式，後者多半聚焦在展露用戶最美好的一面。

Once they see the video is your authentic self having fun, people love that because it's a place to just escape.

人們喜歡那些展現出用戶最真實自我的影片，那是一個脫離現實的管道。

So just how do you create an entertaining TikTok video?

該如何製作一部有趣的 TikTok 影片呢？

Let's create a Tiktok!

我們來拍 TikTok！

According to Drea and Anna, the first step is to find a viral hashtag or "challenge" on the app.

根據 Drea 和 Anna，第一步事先在應用程式中找到一個正夯的主題標籤。

Then you create your own version.

然後製作出屬於你自己的版本。

The second step is to find a music tune and select your filters and effects.

第二部是找一段音樂，然後選擇濾鏡和效果。

The third step is to shoot and be your authentic self.

第三部就是開始拍攝、展現你最真實的一面。

Our practice session drew a crowd, but the video we published drew in an even larger audience, garnering more than 250 likes even though I had just created my account.

我們的練習課程吸引了一群人潮，不過我們發佈的影片甚至吸引來更大一群觀眾，獲得了超過 250 個讚數，即使我剛剛才創立帳號。

It's likely those likes came from the "For You Page," a personalized timeline you see when you first open TikTok.

這些讚數應該都是來自「個人推薦選單」—— 用戶首次點開 TikTok 時會看到的個人化時間軸。

TikTok uses your past likes, comments, and even how long you watch videos, or the speed at which you swipe away, to curate your customized timeline.

TikTok 利用你過去給的讚和留言，甚至是你在每部影片停留的時間和滑掉的速度，來策劃出你的個人推薦。

And while other social media platforms use AI as a tool for recommendations, TikTok is fully reliant on it.

其他社群媒體平台利用人工智慧創建用戶的推薦列表，TikTok 也完全仰賴於次。

It removes decision-making completely and serves you the videos it thinks you'll like.

它移除了任何個人選項，給你看它認為你會喜歡的內容。

The system wants to know what you like, and it shows you the content.

系統想知道你喜歡什麼，然後給你看相關影片。

It wants to make you happy, like, the more positive response you give something the more you're going to see of it.

它想讓你快樂，如果你表示出對某種內容特別喜愛，就會越常看到。

But TikTok hasn't merely been an entertainment platform for Drea and Anna.

但對 Drea 和 Anna 來說， TikTok 不單純只是娛樂平台。

It's also been an opportunity for them to create new careers.

同時也是她們創造新事業的機會。

Both of them have quit their 9-5 jobs to become full-time content creators.

她們兩人都辭掉了朝九晚五的工作，成為全職的內容創作者。

Fans of content creators are able to send them digital gifts during live streams.

內容創作者的粉絲能在她們直播時發送虛擬禮物。

These can then be converted into money.

這些禮物可以被轉換成錢。

Some creators make the entire income off of live streaming.

有些創作者的所有收入皆來自直播。

So they don't even have to do branded work because it's just their fans supporting them.

所有他們甚至不用接業配，完全仰賴粉絲支持。

That branded work is getting eyeballs too.

業配也能吸引關注。

The hashtag ad, has had nearly 3 billion views on TikTok.

主題標籤廣告在 TikTok 上已經有近 30 億的觀看數。

And major names are getting involved.

而且涉及到一些大品牌。

I've worked with brands from Chipotle, Netflix, Google Pixel.

我和奇波雷墨西哥燒烤、Netflix、 Google Pixel 都有合作過。

And because they want to come on TikTok, because on other platforms, it's very much the generic, like, buy this, so you know the influencer was being paying for it.

因為其他平台比較一般，所以他們想拓展到 TikTok，知道我們和粉絲的關係比較密切，我們只會接自己也信任的業配文案。

But with TikTok, because of that relationship we have with our audience, they know that they [we] won't take a brand deal unless it's something they believe in.

但該應用程式也有面臨一些法律問題。

But the app is also facing legal challenges.

TikTok 旗下的 musical.ly 被指控在沒有家長同意下收集孩童個資，因而付了 570 萬美金給聯邦貿易委員會。

TikTok paid $5.7 million to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that musical.ly had collected children's data without parental permission.

在英國也有類似的調查在進行。

A similar investigation is underway in the U.K

TikTok 在一份聲言裡表示：其最優先的考量是要提供給用戶一個安全、愉悅的體驗。

In a statement, TikTok said: its priority is to maintain a safe and welcoming experience for all its users.

並且釋出一種工具提供家長和其他用戶掌控隱私權。

And it released tools that give parents and other users more control over privacy.

今天我要來化妝…太恐怖了！

Today I'm gonna do my makeup... horrible! Oh, that lady that just passed me was actually staring at me.

就和其他內容導向的應用程式一樣，它也面臨了過濾不適當內容的難題。

Like other creator-driven apps, it also struggled with effectively filtering our inappropriate content.

在去年，印尼政府禁止了該平台，因其包含「色情、不當和褻瀆宗教的內容」，是到了 TikTok 同意開始審查「負面內容」後才解除對它的禁令。

Last year, Indonesian authorities banned the platform for containing "pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy," only to overturn the ban after TikTok agreed to censor "negative content."

幾個月後在印度也發生了類似的情況。

A similar ban and reversal happened in India a few months later.

若想要持續經營，專家指出抖音必須要找出相關配套措施來移除不當影片內容；而有個清楚的盈利模型也是相當重要的。

To remain viable, experts say it's essential that TikTok puts measures in place to remove inappropriate content. Having a clear profit model is also really important.

但即使有這些異議者，該應用程式的受歡迎程度不減反增。

But despite the naysayers, the apps popularity is growing.

它打敗了競爭者 YouTube 和 Instagram，成為 2019 年第一季 Apple 裝置上最多下載次數的應用程式。

It beat its competitors, YouTube and Instagram, to become the most downloaded app on Apple devices for the first quarter of 2019.

其中一名內容創作者 Lil Nas X，在 Tiktok 上發佈了他自己製作的歌 Old Town Road，登上排行榜第一名，成為 2019 年新星。

One of its content creators, Lil Nas X, became one of the breakout stars of 2019 when a song he put together on TikTok, "Old Town Road," hit number one on the billboard charts.

該平台的受眾群表示滿意且多為年輕用戶，TikTok 表示他們還只是最初期的用戶。

While the app's audience appears niche and targeted toward teens, TikTok says they're merely the early adopters.

該平台展望獲得更廣大的受眾群，成為一個不容忽視的社群媒體平台。

The app has its eyes on mass adoption, making it a social media platform to be reckoned with.

感謝收看我的影片。

Thank you so much for watching my video.

你下載 TikTok 了嗎？

Have you downloaded TikTok?

留言告訴我，也別忘了訂閱！

Let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe.