When trying to figure out how I wanted to start this new “Fangirl Friday” column, I knew I wanted to write about something I have personally been obsessed over. Recently, that’s TikTok.

When I first heard of this app, I was hesitant to join because it seemed like the only people on it were children and ex-Vine-users. Once I gave in and download the app, though, I couldn’t stop using it.

After going on one of my four-hour TikTok binges, I will have one of the 30-second audio clips stuck in my head for days. From Doja Cat to “this is for Rachel” I have pretty much encyclopedic knowledge on all of the popular sounds used.

TikTok has given artists and young creators a platform for their music to go viral and become noticed with barely any effort. Before TikTok, I had no idea who Doja Cat was, nor had I listened to any of her music. Now, two of her songs are in my “on repeat” playlist on Spotify and her song “Say So” has been used to create 13.7 million videos.

Yung Gravy has had a song go viral on TikTok and it elevated his rap career. In Gravy’s song “Shining on my ex” one of the lyrics is “Dude I’d be pissed off if this song blew up on TikTok” and that’s exactly what it did. The song currently has 23 million plays on Spotify and over 57,000 videos have been made using it on TikTok.

Cody Ko also has a TikTok success story. He and Noel Miller (collaboration name “Tiny meat gang”) created a song called “Walk Man” that also blew up on TikTok. In his video “thanks for a great year,” Ko discusses how the song catapulted them into TikTok stardom. The song now has almost 35 million streams in just 6 months, while none of Tiny meat gang’s other songs have received the same attention.

Even though it all seems pretty silly and it’s truly crazy that someone can gain 100,000 followers just because of one 30-second video, platforms such as these are changing the way we see music and internet fame. Many college students are wasting their time and brain cells on the app, but it’s also giving people the opportunity to get noticed.

I’m definitely not saying drop everything you’re doing and go watch some Tik Toks, but that is 100% what I will be doing after this.