Professor of Marketing Colin Campbell Affirms TikTok is Hottest Social Media Trend

SAN DIEGO — Tiktok continues to explode in popularity.

A huge portion of users are part of Generation Z, the population younger than 24 years old. Some users have made careers out of it.

Sometimes even the most ordinary things can launch you to TikTok stardom. Anything goes on TikTok.

"Anything and everything is content. It's just a matter of how you display that content," said Dakota Olave. He found TikTok fame while living in City Heights. He has more than eight million followers. The video that launched him to stardom was simple. "I drew a circle and colored it in and that is it. I colored in a circle," said Olave. "It got upwards from 25 million views."

The social media influencer is now known for breaking people's phones or laptops - and then gifting them with new ones. 

"I broke a phone, someone else's phone, the video I think got 14 million views and I was like 'Whoa!'" he said.

"People like watching destruction," he added. Fellow influencer Kyle Shaffer has two million followers. The San Diego native said his videos focus on comedy. "It's such a diverse platform, different from all the other social media where you can really be your authentic raw and real self," said Shaffer. Like Olave, the 19-year-old has made a career out of social media.

"I literally am so grateful that I can do my passion and make a living out of it at the same time," said Shaffer.

Experts say companies gravitate to platforms like TikTok to grab that Generation Z audience. There are currently 800 million users worldwide.

"TikTok is definitely the new hot thing, that is true, I think it's playful," said University of San Diego Assistant Professor of Marketing Colin Campbell.