TikTok Was Never Anything Anyone Expected
From the perspective of a user, what sort of culture has it really created?
So, it’s safe to say that TikTok has been a cause for debate among Americans in the last few weeks. Generations clash as do political perspectives, with Trump signing an Executive Order and TikTok firing back with a lawsuit. Whatever your opinions on the ban, the basis behind it, or the app itself the cultural impact TikTok has had on today’s youth is obvious.
I first heard about TikTok on YouTube in the fall of 2018, where I saw TikTok cringe compilations left and right. When I viewed the arguably cheesy stuff being produced on the app, I promised myself I would never download it. I survived without Musical.ly and hated mainstream creators on Vine. So, what would I be missing?
Well, in March of 2019 I downloaded the app, albeit ironically, to watch the painfully awkward content I had been promised on YouTube. Yet what I saw was not even close to what I expected. I was genuinely surprised by the level of creativity on the app and the amount of actually interesting comedians, artists, animators and activists there were.
From that moment, I was hooked.
While the app has its fair share of 12-year-olds who think they can dance, it was the diversity…
