TikTok surpasses Google as most popular site in 2021
TikTok has dislodged Google as the most popular site in 2021, according to the latest data from web security company Cloudflare.
The social media app overtook other tech behemoths that ranked above it last year, including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix.
The popular social media app ranked seventh to Google's first in 2020 and got a little "help" from the pandemic, according to a blog post titled "Popular Domains Year In Review 2021."
According to the blog post, there were some days when Google was No. 1, but October and November were mostly "TikTok's days, including on Thanksgiving and Black Friday."
TikTok said it hit 1 billion monthly active users around the world in September. The short-form video app has risen sharply in popularity in the last few years, spawning competing products from other platforms including Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
"TikTok has become a beloved part of life for people around the world because of the creativity and authenticity of our creators. Our global community is remarkable in its ability to reach millions of people, across generations," the company said in an announcement in September.
TikTok was closely followed by Google in second place and Facebook in third. Microsoft and Apple completed the top five spots.
However, the popular app has also faced government scrutiny and the Chinese-owned app faced threats of being banned in the U.S. by the Trump administration.
Most Americans said in a Washington Post-Schar School poll released Wednesday that they distrust TikTok, Facebook and Instagram with their personal information and data.
Here's the full list of this year's top 10 most popular domains:
TikTok.com
Google.com
Facebook.com
Microsoft.com
Apple.com
Amazon.com
Netflix.com
YouTube.com
Twitter.com
WhatsApp.com