TikTok operates in mystery and it's really a smoke screen for big industry music and advertisers. The trending sounds are hand picked behind the scenes, Kate Bush Running up the Hill, a song originally released in the 80s on EMI Records (A major label) trending now in 2022 is proof of the underlying influence that big business has on the platform: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Up_That_Hill

Many people think that TikTok's algorithm is showing them what they want to see, but in truth it's showing people what makes the platform the most money inserted into brief videos made by people who aren't getting paid for their work, who are also hand picked by platform moderators.

TikTok will collapse as quick as it is rising when, just like Facebook, users stop logging in and stop posting content.

Platforms don't create sub-category lists for content because that causes them do do more work, and it also causes them generally to not be able to advertise things across the entire platform and test ads on markets more effectively. The truth of these giant platforms is that they don't help undiscovered creators, they exist to capture money from the largest business entities, and they woo big business in with huge user bases that often involve huge volumes of non-engaged and bot followers.

These sites also limit users visibility regularly in favor of showing platform ads and content from more popular *sponsored accounts. They also run verification for popular accounts to create even more content bias that hurts unknown creators that can't qualify for verification, just to show they are an authentic creator.

It's easy to tell how a platform's vibrance declines when a user has tens of thousands of followers, but only a hand full of likes on each post. This is most apparent right now on Twitter (for example). Platforms often generate fake user accounts to mimic vibrance as well, this also creates buzz as people don't take the time out to investigate actual engagement on sites before they report on them being popular.

TikTok removed post dates from being displayed on content they play so that you can't tell as a viewer that new content posts are in decline as users discover that the hype isn't working for them and that ads and sponsored posts are increasing. The majority of these large content platforms are all beginning to converge into charging users for visibility by promoting ad buying, another sign that they are really in decline rather than growing. When ads are purchased, many of these sites steer the ad content to overseas audiences that have no interest in buying products and services advertised as they slowly lose the ability to accurately target individual users.

The platforms that become most popular now are well versed in creating false narratives on potential for creator success and in creating smoke and mirrors and untruthful motivation content to keep encouraging independent creators to prop them up, but behind the scenes, they're all devoid of integrity and authentic user experiences, while being full of hope and promises that they don't deliver based on being their business models alone.

I recommend saving time and having a far better online presence as a creator, business, or brand by building and cultivating your own web site. Social media is dysfunctional, very costly for minor success, and time consuming while only offering short-term durability and name recognition.