TikTok is a viral social media platform that lets users create and share short video clips. The app is not only used by millennials but also elder people as well as celebrities as it continues to gain popularity. The platform is now available in more than 150 countries and has more than one billion active users.
TikTok's bad reputation
The app has recently been in the news for the wrong reasons after TikTok users started circulating videos of themselves performing dangerous challenges like the "Outlet Challenge," "Skullbreaker Challenge" and the "Eye Challenge" that have resulted in injuries and even death.
The popular mobile app TikTok has also received a great deal of criticism from political leaders and activists over its alleged contribution to cyberbullying and harassment.
However, this time TikTok is grabbing headlines for the right reasons as it is credited with reuniting an Indian man with his family. A man from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, who had been missing for more than six years, was reunited with his loved ones after his son shared a video on the platform.
Family thought he was dead
The man, identified as Annapuri Pullaiah, had gone missing in 2014, according to The Hans India. His family members continued to look for him but couldn't trace him, eventually leading them to the conclusion that he might have died. The family members would also perform yearly rituals to commemorate Pullaiah's death anniversary.
The power of social media
A few months ago, Pullaiah's son shared a video on the app about his father. "My father was with us when I was not earning, but when I am earning, he is not with us, he says in the TikTok video, which people then started sharing with their friends and family members on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Pullaiah, who was now working at a cloth shop in a different state, happened to see the video and couldn't believe his eyes. With tears in his eyes, he managed to get in touch with his son with a little help from social media users and revealed to him that he was currently stationed in the state of Gujarat.
His two sons along with some relatives then got on the next train to Gujarat and brought his father back home. "My father Pullaiah used to run a shoe mending shop in Nandyal. We searched for him everywhere and even lodged a police complaint. We visited many temples and prayed to all gods seeking divine intervention. We are happy to be reunited with him," Pullaiah's son told The New Indian Express.
