In the past, a million followers meant instant internet fame.

Now, this number is the norm.

TikTok has changed the meaning of a million followers.

Time released an interesting article on the topic.

The new reality is, the meaning of a follow on TikTok is not what it is, or once was on YouTube or any other social platform.

TikTok has enabled virality like no other app before, meaning more creators with high follower counts than ever before.

More than 39,000 accounts on TikTok have over one million followers.

That’s about 6,200 more than on YouTube and nearly 16,000 more than on Instagram.

It means there is now a fascinating subculture of influence, where people have millions of followers but remain anonymous to the wider world.

This change is largely down to the nature of short-form content.

It’s fast-paced, consumed passively as users scroll, and often is easily forgettable, all leading to a shift in the relationship creators can build up with their fan base.

With the nature of YouTube’s longer-form content, viewers spend more time with the creator and start to build a relationship where they feel they know them.

Creating a community of hard-core, devoted fans.

For those that don’t know – 10 years ago, I ran a YouTube channel and built it up to almost 5000 subscribers.

A small number in comparison to creators these days, however, it amazes me that to this day I still receive the occasional message asking when / if I’ll ever come back to YouTube.

A relationship like this can only be built through long-form content.

These viewers don't just watch, they connect. The more viewers watch, the higher the likelihood of them developing a relationship with the content creator.

The follower count doesn’t show how engaged a community is.

The goal for creators is engagement, not followers.