TikTok Boom

Fast-paced business book that explains TikTok

'It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.' – Azeem Azhar, Exponential View
'A must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers.' – David Craig, Professor, USC Annenberg

TikTok didn’t just arrive — it detonated. In a handful of years, a short-video app from ByteDance, a Chinese tech company few people outside the industry had heard of, surged past entrenched platforms and reshaped what the internet looks like: how we watch, how we shop, how music breaks, how language evolves, and how fame is manufactured at scale.

In TikTok Boom, journalist Chris Stokel-Walker takes you behind the screen to reveal how the world’s favourite app became a global force. This is the rare business and technology story that reads with the pace of a thriller —because the stakes are real. TikTok isn’t only entertainment; it’s a platform powered by an astonishing recommendation algorithm, a fast-moving creator economy, and a company operating at the centre of an East-meets-West superpower contest.

Whether you’re a creator trying to go viral, a marketer building a smarter social media strategy, a founder studying product growth, or simply curious about how your “For You” page seems to know you better than you do, TikTok Boom is your essential guide to understanding what makes TikTok tick — and why it matters for culture, commerce, and power.

What you’ll discover inside:

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  The origin story: how TikTok evolved, scaled, and outmanoeuvred rivals in the attention war.
  
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  The engine under the scroll: how TikTok’s algorithm, data signals, and feedback loops shape what you see—minute by minute—and why it feels so addictive.
  
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  The new rules of influence: how trends are engineered, remixed, and amplified, and how creators turn seconds of video into careers.
  
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  TikTok for business, without the buzzwords: what brands can learn from the platform’s style of storytelling, community, and discovery.
  
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  The hidden hand of moderation: content guidelines, enforcement, and the subtle ways they can change what becomes visible (and what disappears).
  
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  The ByteDance ambition: the people who built the machine, the company culture behind it, and the friction that followed as TikTok expanded worldwide.
  
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  The geopolitical tension around Chinese tech: scrutiny, bans, and political flashpoints that turned a social app into an international headline.
  

Stokel-Walker draws on deep reporting and interviews with people connected to TikTok — from company insiders to creators in front of the camera — bringing clarity to the myths, controversies, and hype. You’ll come away with a sharper understanding of why TikTok feels different from Instagram, YouTube, or Snapchat; why “going viral” on TikTok follows a distinct logic; and how algorithmic discovery has changed the value of followers, fame, and attention.

And because this is written by a journalist — not a hype merchant — you’ll also see the bigger picture: how platforms police speech, how algorithms can quietly reshape culture, and why a seemingly “fun” app has become a battleground for influence and trust.

Praise for TikTok Boom:
“It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.” — Azeem Azhar, Exponential View
“Vital to understanding how TikTok works and the impact it’s having.” — Damian Collins MP

This isn’t a “get followers overnight” handbook. It’s something far more useful: a sophisticated, readable explanation of the system underneath the scroll. By the final page, you’ll understand why TikTok’s design is so persuasive, what its rise signals about the future of social media and digital marketing, and how the next era of online influence will be fought — by creators, corporations, and governments alike.

If you want to understand TikTok beyond the trends — how it works, why it wins, and what it means for culture and commerce — TikTok Boom belongs on your shelf.

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