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TikTok Remix Culture

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327 points demail | 1 comments | 15 May 21 00:06 UTC | HN request time: 0.638s | source
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herpderperator ◴[15 May 21 03:01 UTC] No.27161933[source]▶
I think part of TikTok's success is the fact that they have a public/guest browser platform[0] that doesn't restrict you from seeing content without an account. It means people who wouldn't usually have the mobile app can still be a part of the action, and that may eventually drive them to sign up.

It's actually almost unbelievable that you can browse endlessly and never once be prompted to sign up unless you try to engage in some way. Instagram, Reddit, Twitter etc all bother you from the very second you load the page with modals and banners bullying you into signing up or getting their mobile app, if they let you see anything at all.

[0] https://www.tiktok.com/foryou

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1. otoburb ◴[15 May 21 15:47 UTC] No.27166257[source]▶
>>It means people who wouldn't usually have the mobile app can still be a part of the action, and that may eventually drive them to sign up.

It's actually almost unbelievable that you can browse endlessly and never once be prompted to sign up unless you try to engage in some way.

This is the typical freemium cost structure amped up because endless video streams for the free (anonymous) tier resulting in higher peak-load operating costs (bandwidth & compute). In exchange, TikTok enjoys higher virality which they hope will translate into higher aggregate (but lower relative percentage) sign-up conversion rates.