BENGALURU: It all started two years back with an online video that went viral, and Suraj PS soon found himself hooked to TikTok. The Bengaluru-based TikTok influencer, who began with a few hundred followers, now reaches 4,50,000 people all over the world though the app. Like Suraj, several netizens in Bengaluru are carving their own path to success, popularity and money through the video platform.
“I was working for a BPO when I first started using this application,” Suraj (28) told CE. “After two months, one of my videos went viral and I gained followers. That started my new career. I quit my job, and now make creative content to earn a living. One can earn at least Rs 12,000, and the income can go up to lakhs per month,” he added.
The online platform, where people can enact scenes from movies and upload dance performances that can be viewed by others using the same application, is one of the latest apps to gain the fancy of netizens all over the world. The application, with over 54 million active users in India, is fast becoming a sought-after source of income for users. Some of them are even offered a contract by the parent Chinese company for six months to one year, depending upon the quality of their content and the number of viewers on their list.
While people like Suraj are now involved full-time with the app, for some, it provides a welcome break from mundane office job. Akhila Unnithan, for instance, says working as a TikTok influencer has helped her pursue her passion for dance even as she continues to work for an IT firm. “I love acting and dancing. Here, I can upload videos of my choice and have gained a fan base comprising 8 lakh people. Companies now approach me to upload videos that show their product. Now that I am pregnant, I endorse maternity products,” she said, adding that the work involves a lot of effort, including script writing and costume changes, to come out with an attractive video.
Also, the influencers get offers from competing applications like Dubsmash, Like, V mate, and Vivo videos, although those already under a contract with TikTok are not allowed to make videos for other applications. They do, however, promote their videos on other social media sites.
Suraj witnessed a rapid increase in the number of his followers on Instagram, and he now endorses brands on TikTok as well as Instagram. They are motivated to boost their following through a range of new challenges and themes, such as the ‘one million challenge’, sportsmela, and desi food.
The attention and appreciation from the followers, of course, plays a big role, said Madhuri Ashwath, a Bengaluru-based college student who has been a TikTok influencer for over a year.
“When I started off, I was anxious about creating good content. But the number of followers keeps growing and we create new hashtags every day to attract more people,” she added, talking about how they can also get offers to act in short films and serials after a viral video.
That they enjoy a fan base even in foreign countries, and are treated like online celebrities, also gives them a high. “Once during a trip to Malaysia, a boy approached me and requested for a picture. It was the greatest moment of my life, to be recognised in a foreign land,” said Suraj.
80% people want ban on TikTok in India: Survey
As many as 80 per cent of young millennials want apps such as TikTok to be banned, according to a poll by Inshorts, a daily news app. The poll included views of 30,000 respondents in age group of 18-35 years, mainly from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities across the country. The survey was conducted after Madras High Court advised the Central government to ban the Chinese video app in India, saying the app encourages pornography among youngsters