By skyforbes 
How dances, memes and challenges go viral on TikTok and what data science teaches us about the patterns behind the hype.
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From the “Renegade” to the Next Big Thing
Remember the “Renegade” dance or the endless stream of lip-sync battles? Every day, TikTok births new trends that spread faster than wildfire. One moment, a sound is obscure. The next, millions of users are dancing, remixing or creating parodies.
But why do some posts explode while others vanish? The answer isn’t just creativity, it’s data.
TikTok as a Data Machine
Every action on TikTok is tracked:
- Watch time (did you rewatch or scroll away?).
- Engagement (likes, comments, shares).
- Retention (do you watch similar videos?).
- Network effects (how quickly you share with friends).
These streams of data are fed into TikTok’s algorithm, which decides what lands on the For You Page (FYP). If content performs well with small groups, it’s tested with bigger groups, like a snowball growing into an avalanche.