The ‘Frozen Gimbap Challenge,’ which caused a nationwide craze of frozen gimbap in the U.S., and the ‘Slick Back Challenge’, a dance that looks like slightly floating in the air, which gained popularity in South Korea and worldwide, both share a common feature. The TikTokers (users who create videos on TikTok) who made these videos were ordinary people with few followers before their videos went viral.
The unique algorithm of TikTok significantly enabled these users to become famous with just one piece of content. Unlike other social media platforms that first show content from friends, TikTok’s first screen is a recommendation page called ‘For You.’ This page continuously exposes content that users might want to see, allowing ordinary individuals to gain explosive views through word of mouth.
On Jun. 11, The Chosun Daily met with two TikTokers at TikTok’s headquarters in Singapore. They were Vivian Toh (29) and Bernice Lim (28), who create K-beauty videos because of their love for Korea. As of Jun. 17, Vivian had about 59,000 followers, and Bernice had 38,000. Vivian gained 20,000 followers in six months after one of her videos about Korean idol hair and makeup went viral last year.
Both Vivian and Bernice developed a love for Korean culture in their childhood through groups like Girls’ Generation and TVXQ. That’s why most of their videos focus on mimicking the makeup and outfits of their favorite Korean celebrities.
Vivian said, “I believe that to create good content, it has to be about something you truly love. By leveraging my profession as a makeup artist, I started posting Korean-style makeup tutorials and eventually became famous.”
Bernice, who studied at Hanyang University as an exchange student, said, “After graduation, I wanted to create my own content while promoting Korean cosmetic products for a Korean company. Unlike other social media where celebrities are popular, anyone can become famous on TikTok if they ride the algorithm, and I was just an ordinary office worker. before my content went viral”
Currently, using her experience in marketing Korean brand cosmetics, Bernice creates videos like ‘ how to makeup like a K-pop idol stars’
The videos that recorded high views for both tiktokers focused on Korean culture. A video by Vivian in Jan. 2023, mimicking BLACKPINK Jennie’s Hera advertisement hair and makeup, surpassed 700,000 views. She also hosted a K-beauty broadcast on Lazada, the number one e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia. Also, Bernice’s video using Hera’s lip gloss for her makeup has surpassed 960,000 views.
They both cited TikTok’s ease of use as a significant advantage. Unlike YouTube, which requires a long time to create a video, TikTok focuses on ‘short-form’ videos that can be made by turning on a smartphone camera, choosing a soundtrack provided by the app, and uploading immediately. TikTok also supports content creation with in-app editing tools. Vivian said, ‘Planning and researching what videos to make can take several days, but the actual video production is so easy that I’ve made up to eight videos in a day.
Vivian and Bernice explained that TikTok allows them to build themselves as personal brands. Bernice said, “When my Korean makeup video hit the algorithm and reached the opposite side of the globe, like in the U.S., an American cosmetics brand reached out for collaboration.”
Vivian also mentioned, “As my videos are viewed in other cultures, I sometimes get inquiries from people visiting Singapore asking if they can get their makeup done by me. Through TikTok, I’m growing from a local Singaporean makeup artist to a global artist.”
