How TikTok Went From A Superficial Social Platform to A Youth-Led Movement
By Lily Scheckner
By Lily Scheckner
I doubt there is a single person at Eastern Middle School who hasn’t heard of TikTok, a relatively new social media platform that has nevertheless dominated the internet since the beginning of quarantine. The app consists of short videos (usually 15-60 seconds long) that can be about anything under the sun, from trendy dances to makeup tutorials to lip synchs. Many have also found small pockets of content that cater to their interests, like specific celebrities, fandoms, and songs.
I will say that I was definitely not a fan of TikTok pre-quarantine. In fact, I was known for poking fun at everything from the admittedly similar dances (they literally all look the same, guys) to the unrealistic body expectations (pretty-privilege was and still is prevalent on this app). But over the last year, I have grown to admire the unique structure of the platform. Despite not having any social media myself, I watched what has become a sort of movement from afar.
While many of the videos are relatively vapid, TikTok has also become a place to discuss important topics, like political opinions, mental health, body image, and more. As of this moment, videos tagged with #blacklivesmatter have over 24 billion views. Clips tagged with #Biden2020 and #Trump2020, collectively, have over 33 billion views.
The app is mostly dominated by younger people, specifically teenagers--or, as we like to say, Gen Z. It has not only become a platform for them to share their ideas, but also to challenge and shape the viewpoints of others. Like most social media, there are bad parts (toxicity, cyberbullying, over-sexualisation, and more), but the amount of excellent and even wholesome content is honestly surprising.
One example of this “wholesome” content that immediately comes to mind is a sort of chain thread. Essentially, someone will start with a story and ask others to share similar experiences. I have seen hundreds of users come together to bond over stories of something as deep as sexual assault or systemic racism to superficial things like strange encounters with celebrities and awful cooking fails. What is so appealing about such a simple feature, you might ask? I would argue that it gives the youth of 2021 an opportunity to achieve the connection and interaction that they sorely missed throughout the pandemic.
Every social media platform has it’s issues, and TikTok is surely no exception. But despite this, Gen-Z has relied on the app to connect with teens from all over the world with similar interests and experiences during a global crisis. It has also helped educate them about social and political movements. Maybe TikTok will fade away in the coming years, but you can’t deny that it has had a profound impact on today’s youth in every way.
Sources:
Image - https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/tiktok-video-app-growth-867587/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/25/movies/tiktok-accounts-harry-potter.html
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blacklivesmatter?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/biden2020?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/trump2020?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2
I will say that I was definitely not a fan of TikTok pre-quarantine. In fact, I was known for poking fun at everything from the admittedly similar dances (they literally all look the same, guys) to the unrealistic body expectations (pretty-privilege was and still is prevalent on this app). But over the last year, I have grown to admire the unique structure of the platform. Despite not having any social media myself, I watched what has become a sort of movement from afar.
While many of the videos are relatively vapid, TikTok has also become a place to discuss important topics, like political opinions, mental health, body image, and more. As of this moment, videos tagged with #blacklivesmatter have over 24 billion views. Clips tagged with #Biden2020 and #Trump2020, collectively, have over 33 billion views.
The app is mostly dominated by younger people, specifically teenagers--or, as we like to say, Gen Z. It has not only become a platform for them to share their ideas, but also to challenge and shape the viewpoints of others. Like most social media, there are bad parts (toxicity, cyberbullying, over-sexualisation, and more), but the amount of excellent and even wholesome content is honestly surprising.
One example of this “wholesome” content that immediately comes to mind is a sort of chain thread. Essentially, someone will start with a story and ask others to share similar experiences. I have seen hundreds of users come together to bond over stories of something as deep as sexual assault or systemic racism to superficial things like strange encounters with celebrities and awful cooking fails. What is so appealing about such a simple feature, you might ask? I would argue that it gives the youth of 2021 an opportunity to achieve the connection and interaction that they sorely missed throughout the pandemic.
Every social media platform has it’s issues, and TikTok is surely no exception. But despite this, Gen-Z has relied on the app to connect with teens from all over the world with similar interests and experiences during a global crisis. It has also helped educate them about social and political movements. Maybe TikTok will fade away in the coming years, but you can’t deny that it has had a profound impact on today’s youth in every way.
Sources:
Image - https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/tiktok-video-app-growth-867587/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/25/movies/tiktok-accounts-harry-potter.html
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blacklivesmatter?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/biden2020?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/tag/trump2020?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2