Tiktok, a social network that has the merit of being talked about, whether for good or bad. If the “social network of young people” has known a dazzling scale in Algeria in recent years, it may be the end of an era.
Rumors have been circulating for a few days now. Some talk about restrictions while others talk about a real ban. If this seems trivial for many Algerians, you should know that Tiktok has conquered the hearts (and the time) of the under 25s, and is part of their daily life.
For others the alarm bell rang with more seriousness because it is their livelihood, for example: the multitude of content creators present on the platform. The news has a snowball effect, and it is difficult to separate the true from the false.
The end of Tiktok in Algeria: what is it really?
You should know that this news was relayed without any official announcement. The Algerian authorities have not communicated anything on this subject, and no restrictions are currently in force. In addition, the Chinese company has also said nothing.
If some Algerians said on twitter that the news was “official” it is not so. Indeed we can read in one of the posts broadcast on twitter: “Officially, the Tik Tok application will be permanently suspended in Algeria next week, God willing”.
These people presumably did not check with the company before claiming such news. Indeed, even TikTok has faced criticism over psychological effects such as addiction, as well as controversies over inappropriate content or even misinformation no action has been taken in Algeria.
To conclude, if we refer to official sources, the company and the Algerian authorities, no ban is planned to date.
Tiktok: the extent of the social network in Algeria
As a reminder, Tik Tok, also called Douyin in Chinese, is a mobile video sharing and networking application launched in September 2016 by the Chinese company ByteDance. Initially, the application had a fairly specific target: 13-20 year olds, but the phenomenon quickly gained momentum.
Essentially based on entertainment features (watching music videos, filming, editing and sharing their own clips), the application is accessible to everyone, and addictively light.
Fashion effect at the global level, Algeria is no exception. Great Internet enthusiasts (27.28 million Internet users in Algeria in January 2022), Algerians are on the lookout for new “social media” trends. Tiktok quickly gained ground with teenagers but also young adults.
According to data from the specialized site Start.io, the number of users of the application is 2.7 million in May 2022. Regarding the distribution of these users, we note 74.4% of men against 25.6% women. As for the age of users, the 18-24 age group dominates (57.9%) followed by 25-34 year olds (34.1%).
