The TikTok mobile app is setting new records for attendance every day, although initially few people took it seriously. It currently competes in terms of the number of concurrent users with Internet giants such as the Google search engine. But what is the reason for such popularity? In many ways, it can be explained by a unique system of recommendations. The application literally draws in itself, because it offers for viewing exactly those videos that are of interest to the user. And from time to time, the division of the TikTok platform into two sides pops up in them: Straight and Alt. We will talk about one of them in this article. What does Straight Tik Tok mean? Let’s delve into this issue and try to figure it all out.
Detailed explanation
At the moment, most of the popular videos in this application can be divided into two large categories, they are also called TikTok sides: Straight and Alt. To put it very simply, Straight is a video for everyone, based on trends, popular characters, etc. And Alt is the exact opposite of Straight, where popular trends are used only for ridicule, copyright content prevails, often designed for a narrow audience.
Now this division can be called conditional, because there are many videos that fit the description for each of the parties. So let’s focus on Straight, which is what this article is about. 
Where did such a name come from? The explicit division of the site TikTok happened in the first half of 2020, it started with American bloggers, but then moved to other countries. Straight comes from the English Straight. In the context, this can be translated as “ordinary”, “intended for everyone”. This type of content has several clear signs:
- A glamorous picture that conveys a good life: bright clothes, stylish makeup, suitable locations.
https://www.tiktok.com/@xoteam/video/7036501641037745409?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
- Following trends: using popular music, references to famous TV shows, movies, etc.
- A lot of videos with dancing to music, the so-called lipsinks (we are talking about the lipsink format, when a person pretends to sing a famous song).
- Cute animals that everyone likes so much.
@_tusya_kiskis Inst: tusya_kiskis
- And many other manifestations.
Despite the fact that the concept of Straight within TikTok appeared relatively recently, the phenomenon itself was born along with the release of a mobile application. If a new user only installs it on his smartphone or opens the official website on a computer, then first of all he will see exactly the videos that we are talking about in this article.
That is, you don’t need to specifically try to go to the side of the Straight, everything has already been done for you. But in the case of Alt, a number of steps need to be taken. We talk more about them in separate article dedicated to this topic. We recommend that you check it out as well.
End
TikTok is interesting for its diversity. The more registered users in the application, the more videos it releases every second. The author may have his own unique vision, or he just wants to join one of the trends – this is not so important, because the platform gives everyone a chance to get recommended and get a large number of views. And then users themselves will decide whether to promote it further, because the system looks at likes, comments, subscriptions, retention and other factors.
Videos in Straight format are initially created with the expectation that they will be viewed by a large number of people. Therefore, a lot of emphasis in them is on a beautiful shell or glamour, as we called it within the framework of this article, as well as following trends.
The alt side is the exact opposite of Straight, because it makes fun of fashion, tries to offer something completely different, abstract or even scary.
In fact, this topic can be analyzed much deeper by diving into its history, making a list of significant bloggers, but then the article will grow to an incredible size. We decided to make a brief summary so that you can understand where such a division came from and what this Straight means.
