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TikTok beats Google for top internet hotspot

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Big tech companies have breached their fair share of data rules this year and regulators have dished out penalties. Here are the largest ones.
Big tech companies have breached their fair share of data rules this year and regulators have dished out penalties. Here are the largest ones. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Video sharing platform TikTok has beaten Google as the most popular online destination after soaring in popularity over the course of the pandemic.

Fuelled by Gen Z amid social restrictions, the app has held the top position since August, after dethroning Google in February, March and June.

Google came first last year, and was surrounded by internet heavyweights TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix, according to IT security company Cloudflare.

By July this year, TikTok had been downloaded more than three billion times, data firm Senor Tower found, as its active users swell to over one billion.

TikTok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, has reaped the rewards of a homebound society, stuck for entertainment.

The app has also fuelled the growth of internet celebrities and ‘influencers’ – and has prompted companies like Instagram and Spotify to introduce TikTok style videos.

It comes as the short-video app looks to tap into the e-commerce market in the UK, which has also burst in popularity over the pandemic.

TikTok General Manager for the UK and EU, Rich Waterworth told the BBC earlier this month: “We think it’s a really significant moment. E-commerce is a big opportunity for TikTok and it’s something we’re investing in significantly.

“People who have a shared interest or a shared love for a creator or a product area, these communities come together and make the experience of finding and enjoying those products more interesting.”