Tik Tok is Transforming Gen-Z Political Culture
Out of all the current generations, Gen-Z is known to be the least involved in civic engagement. However, the 2020 Presidential Election saw an unprecedented boost in youth voter turnout. An estimated 53 to 55% of registered voters aged 18-29 voted, which is possibly the highest turnout for a younger generation in modern history (NBC). One factor that may be contributing to this generational change is the rise of TikTok activism.
TikTok, a popular social media app, has become a platform for political activists to reach large audiences. Through short clips, usually only 30 seconds or less, users can capture the attention of the youth and promote complicated topics or policies in a very short period of time. The app has become a tool to amplify voices that have historically been silenced; the Black Lives Matter movement, for example, was aided by the circulation of videos of police brutality on the app. While much of the political activism on the app takes on a serious tone, some users choose to use comedy to spread news or their political stances. Topics spanning from the racism of the war on drugs (TikTok) to the military-industrial complex (TikTok) can be made into comedic videos that are a fraction as long as a documentary, CNN article, or a news story.
This has huge implications for the future of American politics. Historically, older generations have dominated politics, keeping conservative ideals alive. Now younger generations, which tend to be more progressive than their predecessors, have the platform and motivation to shake the status quo.
Although there are a lot of chuds on the platform, TikTok has a surprisingly progressive base. As you pointed out, the BLM movement is a great example of TikTok's potential as a political medium as hundreds of content creators came together to expose videos of police brutality. The same was true when Israel's treatment of Palestinians was mainstream news as well. I remember seeing several videos from citizen journalists showing the IDF evict Palestinians from their home and beating them, which *hopefully* gave those in the U.S. an inside perspective into Israel's apartheid practices. One thing that I do appreciate about TikTok is the comedic aspect of it, something that you also pointed out. I can't tell you how often I see TikToks that make fun of (and rightfully so) trickle-down economics and various imperialist/white supremacist policies. Spinning serious topics into comedy really shows the absurdity of living in a county dominated by free-market ideology. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi! It is insane how TikTok, a platform that was created to primarily create entertaining videos for youth, has now become a source of information and method of educating Gen-Z about significant political issues. It’s important to note what makes TikTok such an influential platform for political activism in comparison to Instagram or Twitter: the ease of virality. TikTok is so unique in how easy it is for a video to go viral and gain immense attention from youth. The ease of virality TikTok holds makes the spread of information, whether it be positive or negative, fast and impactful. TikTok has been utilized to educate people on pertinent topics such racism, sexism, and classism and what the viewer can do to make a difference no matter how minute that difference may be.
ReplyDeleteHello, it’s interesting that people started using TikTok because everyone was bored doing the Covid-19 pandemic. Little did we know it was going to become a “safe place” for younger generations to speak their minds. Besides all other content, TikTok has become a digital media source used by individuals to talk about political topics. I believe that TikTok is much more effective than other social media platforms. The reason why Tiktok has been more effective deals with how it’s designed to reach larger audiences. I remember when BLM was happening, so many people uploaded creative videos to support the cause. The unique thing about TikTok and politics has been the creativity used in videos to talk about political topics. There are tons of unique videos on the app that have made younger generations interact with political issues. While all of this sounds amazing some also disagree with TikTok political videos. Overall, I agree with you, this platform will continue to have an impact on future generations.
ReplyDeleteHi! It's great that you have highlighted how influential a generation can be and just how important social media can also be. TikTok is such a versatile platform that ends up bringing information to people so much quicker than mass media can bring breaking news together in a clean and interpreted package. Black Lives Matter and other activist groups have found a voice that resonates with an evolving generation. I have to agree that the platform has been successful in teaching audiences about a variety of topics utalizing comedy. The situation between Russia and Ukraine is one that has been discussed extensively in many different ways to show a generation that their input is important. Great post.
ReplyDelete