TikTok's BeautyTok Community Illustrates Internet Fragmentation and Niche Virality
BeautyTok, a specific community on TikTok, focuses on beauty products, techniques, and trends, creating a distinct online bubble for its users. This phenomenon highlights a broader trend of internet fragmentation, where algorithms personalize content to such an extent that users are often exposed only to specific niches, like BookTok for books or GymTok for fitness. As a result, what goes viral within these communities may not reach a wider audience, leading to a perception that certain trends are universally popular when they are, in fact, confined to particular online groups. This personalization means that two individuals using the same app can experience vastly different online realities, with their feeds tailored to their engagement patterns. The concept of 'virality' now carries a different meaning, as millions of views might only signify deep engagement within a single community rather than widespread recognition across the entire internet. 
