TIKTOK TO THE TOP

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Junior Isabel Jensen’s TikTok was featured in TikTok ad

244 Following Followers396.9k 7.4M

EMILY SANDY Q&A, PHOTOS ANGELA QIAN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

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*numbers based on data from Feb. 13, 2020

TIKTOK SOURCE

FAMILY FUN TIME: Junior Isabel Jensen and her grandfather watch a music video together for a TikTok. Jensen said she thinks her videos went viral because they involve interacting with other people, which is a heartwarming experience.

What are your goals with TikTok?

The goal is to make other people happy, but the main priority is just because I like to do it. So I just make the videos that I like to make. It makes me happy. And if what makes me happy just coincidentally makes other people happy, then that’s a plus. But (I’ve) got to make videos that I want to make that I like and what I think is funny. And so if someone else doesn’t think that it’s funny, then maybe we don’t share the same sense of humor or whatever, but I’m not going to try to make videos for other people.

How has being TikTok famous impacted you? My friends make fun of me. (The ad was) broadcast across the United States, so it’s been really weird because random family members call me up now saying that they saw my grandpa. Whenever I mention it to people, even if I say something about it in class, a lot of people have seen the ad. In my theater class, they were talking about it. People were like, “That video? I’ve seen that video. That’s yours? That’s crazy!” And now two guys in my theater class call me TikTok like it’s my name.

Why do you think they chose your video to feature in the ad?

People really like the video of my grandpa because it’s not like a bunch of the other videos that are on the app currently. Because it’s just people being nice. And that’s uncommon. He was eating a tiny kiwi because he had never tried it before, so he didn’t really know what it was. He was like, “Oh what is that?” and I was like, “It’s a tiny kiwi, wanna try it?”

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What makes a successful TikTok?

Something that people can kind of relate to but is also funny. It’s something that makes people smile. I feel like a lot of people relate to my grandpa because—we scroll through the comments—and a lot of them are like, “My grandparents have passed away” or, “I wish that I could spend more time with my grandparents like that,” and so it is something that we do together now. We make videos together, and it’s a fun time and we connect over it. I think that that’s something that people can relate to. It’s like spending time with their family.

How will TikTok fame affect you in the long run? I feel like it’ll be a really good tool for college because all of my videos are clean and appropriate. There is not a single cuss word in any of my videos. My parents have always said, “Don’t put anything that you don’t want everyone seeing,” and both my parents have TikTok to watch all the videos. My family has TikTok and (they) watch all the videos I make. I want them to see it. I think that it will be a good thing that college can see that even though I have followers that I can still keep a good image.

Did you post videos with the intent of getting views?

No, I thought that it would be really fun because I’ve always liked speaking in front of people, but I don’t like people that much. I like people, but online, it’s different. Instagram is really cut-and-dry. It has to be a perfect picture of a really good moment to post on Instagram. And I was like, “Oh, I (can) make stupid videos of myself on TikTok.” by the numbers

number of downloads on the App Store and Google Play 1.5 BILLION

number of active users worldwide 500 MILLION

8average number of times users open the app per day

The Last Laugh Maddie Blank, Jack Ducat, Austin Audia and Ian Wang (left to right), Comedy Sportz members and juniors, compete in their first SRT match on Feb. 11. The red team was victorious in this match and will compete again today during SRT in the studio theater.

VERONICA TEETER PHOTO