Bombay (AFP)

Israil Ansari can hardly walk in a street in India without being assaulted by teenagers wanting an autograph. The young man is not a Bollywood actor, but a TikTok star, an addictive and controversial application very popular among young Indians.

Downloaded more than 1.5 billion times in the world, the TikTok platform makes it possible to publish videos of a few tens of seconds where the users film themselves performing sketches, singing in playback or dancing on a background of music.

"I am extremely happy when I watch people react to my videos on TikTok, I try to create content that makes my audience happy, whether it's with a catchy song or humorous videos," says Israil Ansari, 20, and two million subscribers.

"In a country of 1.3 billion people, making oneself known is not easy," he observes.

Launched in September 2017 by the Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok has a playful and rudimentary side compared to a more polished network like Instagram, two aspects become its key assets.

Anyone equipped with a smartphone, be it a teenager from a US suburb or an Indian slum resident, can use the app to tell their story, gaining views, "likes", shares and possibly his fifteen minutes of celebrity.

"TikTok videos work because they are + gross +, which means that young people can become more aware of them, get feedback on them and sometimes make money with the app, depending on how popular they are," he said. AFP Meenakshi Tiwari, Analyst, Forrester Research.

A sharp algorithm allows the application to detect the tastes of users and direct them to videos that could match them, catching their attention for sometimes hours.

According to Sensor Tower, TikTok was the fourth most downloaded application in the world in 2018 (excluding games), with two-thirds of its users under 30 years old.

"India is the main market for TikTok, followed by China, the United States, Indonesia and Vietnam," said Craig Chapple of Sensor Tower.

The South Asian giant accounts for 40% of TikTok users. Eleven of its 25 most popular accounts in the world are based in India, including Israil Ansari.

- To become a star -

Known for her ever-changing whimsical hairstyles, from blond to green to pink, and her distinctive dance style, Israil Ansari signs partnerships with brands to promote their products, earning between 20,000 and 50,000 rupees a month (250- 630 euros).

In China, where the app bears the name of Douyin, users can buy products directly, from face cream to clothing, by clicking on videos created by "influencers".

But not everything is good in the world of TikTok.

The application has been accused of encouraging the spread of child pornography. Bangladesh has blocked it in the name of fighting pornography, while India and Indonesia have also temporarily blocked access.

Earlier this year, the social network was fined $ 5.7 billion in the United States for illegally collecting personal data of minors.

In India, the app also made headlines in April when a teenager accidentally killed his friend in Delhi while filming a video for TikTok with a pistol.

The United States has also launched a national security inquiry, fearing that the application may be used for espionage purposes for the benefit of Chinese Communist rule.

But shadows and scandals do not dampen the popularity of TikTok among teens and young adults.

"From morning until late at night, I only watch TikTok videos," says AFP Azeez Ahmed Siddiqui, a 22-year-old Indian with 3,500 subscribers.

"My family is angry at me for not having a job and wasting time on TikTok, but I really want to become a star."

Although the road to stardom is difficult and many aspirants, this does not prevent this inhabitant of Bombay from dreaming.

"I know a lot of people who have no career and who are now famous thanks to TikTok," he says. "If they can do it, then why not me?"

© 2019 AFP