Leading social video platforms and features 2024, by video views

During the first quarter of 2024, TikTok content recorded an average of 18,173 views, making the platform rank as the most engaging for social and short-form video content. Instagram was the second most popular platform, with its Reels generating 16,152 average views. Facebook short form videos, also called Reels, ranked third. In comparison, YouTube Shorts ranked the lowest based on average video views - approximately 650 as of the examined time.

TikTok as a profession: from followers to career goals

In 2024, TikTok had an average reach of around 13,000 users on the platform, though accounts’ reach exhibited an upward trend as the follower count increased. Tiny TikTok accounts with up to 500 followers had a reach of 10,000 users, while huge accounts with over 50,000 followers recorded a reach of 71,000 users during the same examined year. As of July 2024, Khabane Lame, who is known for his silent comedy about life hacks, held the crown of the most followed TikToker with around 163 million followers. American social media star Charli D’Amelio and MrBeast followed with over 155 and 97 million followers, respectively. As of September 2023, Charli D’Amelio was the highest earning TikTok creator, with estimated annual earnings of 23 million U.S. dollars. Khabane Lame’s followed with estimated annual earnings of 16.5 million U.S. dollars.

But do TikTok users consider content creation as a job? As of March 2024, six percent of the TikTok users in the United States reported considering content creation as a full-time job, while 11 percent reported planning to adopt content creation as a profession. If TikTok had to face a ban in the country, around 30 percent of U.S. TikTok influencers would consider YouTube, and Facebook as their potential alternatives for content creation as of April 2024. Instagram followed, as 15 percent of respondents reported they would adopt the platform in the case of the TikTok ban. 

Who uses TikTok?

As of July 2024, over 54 percent of the global TikTok audience were men, while women comprised around 45 percent of the audience share. Men between the ages of 25 and 34 held the largest share of 19 percent of total TikTok users during the same examined period. Indonesia was the country with the highest number of TikTok users, as around 158 million users based in the region reported accessing the platform as of July 2024. The United States, and Brazil followed with over 120 and 105 million TikTok users, respectively. In terms of TikTok penetration rate, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia dominated other regions, as virtually everyone based in these countries registered using the famous short-video platform during the same period.