TikTok Ban
Is the hate just on the basis of class hierarchy?
I heard many people claiming that the widespread hatred for TikTok is predominantly based on class hierarchy set in the minds of people.
In case you might be wondering what all are the other reasons to dislike the whole concept TikTok, I will tell you a few other reasons too.
Mental Health
This might sound funny, but the reality is that many value TikTok more than their lives. More than any other social media mental health issues such as addiction, depression, hyper anxiety etc. have resulted out if this especially among youth.
Deaths
Suicides, Murders and many other crimes have resulted through intense addiction. One of the reported cases was the death of a TikTok user Nur Hansar who died while filming a TikTok video on railway tracks.
Under-Education and Unemployment
Many dropouts can be seen among TikTokers. There is a large majority of TikTok users who are blinded by the virtual limelight on them. Living in a world of fantasy.
Family
It has been reported that many TikTok addicts neglect their respective families and embrace their ‘TikTok family’. Peace of mind in many families is seriously disturbed. From a string of suicides in connection with TikTok use, a 16-year-old girl identified as Priyanka killed herself after her mom told her to stop making TikTok videos.
An Influence Among Youth
Believe it or not, TikTok has a great influence on the current youth. Good or bad, vulnerable teens and youth will easily absorb all. Because of that any backward thought propagated can get into the vulnerable minds of the teenagers especially. For example, I came across many posts regarding pseudo-moralism being lectured through their contents getting immense support. Even women are being harassed in these platforms especially with misogynistic comments and slut-shaming. Many narrow-minded discussions flourish in the form of short video contents. These cross talks are toxic. In this age of fourth-wave feminism, the ravings for these sort of content is rather disappointing. In NBC News, a report on a mother named Tricia Cuthbertson claiming that her daughter’s friend downloaded TikTok onto her daughter’s phone to post videos of the two of them. “In the matter of an hour, she has 20 followers, all men, and they were starting to make inappropriate comments.”
Mediocrity Thrives
An observation reflects that many content creators in TikTok have the ultimate aim of being a mainstream performer in a much more lucrative platform such as movie business. Most of the TikTok creations involve syncing with preset audios. It is an absurdity to even associate TikTok performances with the real meaning of acting. Can’t just blame them too, many upcoming filmmakers call TikTokers for auditions, mostly as a promotional stunt for their movies.
For all the TikTokers who see TikTok as a stepping stone to becoming a movie actor. Some TikTokers perform using their voice, I have a humble suggestion to make to them. You can either take it or leave it. If you are passionate about acting, approach the art more seriously. Join a theatre group, a film school or else collaborate with a team and make short films or any other genuine content creations to perform authentically. Don’t look for instant fame and temporary means, a ban is all that it takes to break it. So when it comes to the art of acting only hard way pays off eventually. Kindly note, there might be professional actors who make TikTok contents, this suggestion is not for them.
The entire blame is not just on TikTok. The mindset and vulnerabilities of people also matter. But what makes TikTok different from other platforms like IGTV, YouTube etc. is that TikTok doesn’t have proper regulatory mechanisms to wipe out offensive and abusive content.
Of course, the current ban on TikTok has nothing to do with all these issues. But despite facing several legal repercussions TikTok didn’t add many effective regulatory features. They don’t even include a dislike option to start with. Almost two years ago, TikTok faced a temporary ban because of some of the issues discussed above. Even though TikTok had their chances to come out clean their algorithm by default promotes all sort of content to flourish.
Government banned TikTok this time only because it is a popular Chinese App. If a replica comes in place of TikTok with minimal regulatory measures we all will have a Season 2 of the entire discussion. I am not denying the fact that there people who do creative stuff and don’t belong to any of these categories. Some people use TikTok for the sake of fun and nothing else, but the majority isn’t. If you believe in your talent, believe in your creativity any platform will make you thrive!
