When I first discovered TikTok, like everybody, I was thrown off by how creative people were being on the platform. But beyond all the editing and filter features, what really struck me as a content consumer was how diverse and positive TikTok seemed to be. As I scrolled through my “For you” page, I was baffled by the variety of backgrounds, bodies and situations: content made by people from all ethnicities, with all body shapes, all sexual orientations, all kinds of jobs, and, despite the young myth that TikTok is only for under 25s, all ages.
It got me thinking… Is TikTok simply a more inclusive social media platform? Has the world become more inclusive (=are we saved?) or is there a more sensible (unfortunately) explanation to that? Let’s explore. The app could intentionally be giving exposure to all sorts of backgrounds – as opposed to what we’ve been used to. And that’s so refreshing and noticeable. But beyond that, with TikTok’s recent skyrocketing success in Europe, what can this change of practice tell us of the direction social content creation and influence is taking today?
“For You”, not the “Explore” tab of Instagram
What’s so refreshing about this diversity on TikTok is that it seems to finally tackle a lurking issue on older social platforms like Instagram. A tale almost as old as times in the West: the under-representation of minorities and “different” beauty standards in the media and entertainment industry. Social media evolves with the debates that animate our society: if I’m Black or Asian, skinny or fat, just like I’d like to find beauty products right for my skin or hair type, I would also like to be inspired by people who are like me – at the end of the day, I need my content to be relatable.
Since influencer marketing started to be a thing, there have been increasing attempts to correct the old ways and bring into light influencers with different beauty standards and backgrounds – through articles or lists with sometimes doubtful titles. However, they only went around the real problem and somehow even contributed to emphasizing it. All this labelling is limiting and upsetting but Instagram is built so that it will always show you similar content and you will stay in your uniform bubble unless you work hard to diversify it.
Could TikTok’s “For You” page “fix” this? Maybe. Despite what Marc Zuckerberg said at the end of 2019, it is not at all like the “Explore” tab of Instagram. The optimistic would say, “As the world gets more complex and less binary, that’s actually how things are supposed to be: good content comes in all colours and shapes.” And it is true: our experience of the Internet and the uncovering of creative talents from all subcultures, now mainstream, have proven it. But more than a humanist mission, it seems more likely that TikTok is building on something that the former generation of social pioneers couldn’t use: nowadays, anybody can be a digital entertainer.
On TikTok, anybody can be an entertainer
By focusing on content first, the app thrives on the belief that super content creators can emerge from anywhere nowadays, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, body shapes… It is completely true since we’re now much more multi-faceted, touched by blended sub-cultures from the Internet than the generation of our parents used to be (I’m in my 30s, to give you an idea). Under-30s have transcended the old labels, which allows them to relate to new, more complex, ones.
However, the fact that TikTok is bringing more diversity to the stage still doesn’t mean everybody can become an influencer. Take the story of Jaliah Hamon, the 14-year-old black dancer from Atlanta who invented the Renegade dance. Did you know her? She posted what would become one of the most popular TikTok dances of the year, but because she originally posted it on Dubsmash, she never got the credit for it on TikTok until the NYT wrote about her. The article explains quite well what’s really going on in the game of social media influence and nothing has changed: talent is not enough. Not only do you have to be in the right place at the right time, but you also must be able to pull the right strings. And that might or might not be a matter of skin colour or social class.
What it means to be from any minority and on TikTok today
You might not become an influencer overnight or create the next Renegade, but you could find a safe space for expression and be happier than on other platforms. Be finally yourself and find other people just like you. They will be out there looking for their soulmates too: the rebel autistic youth, the more than beautiful single woman, the fat retired gymnast who still nails it, the sassy gay, the wizard, the angry Earth activist, the funny forgotten policeman, the cheesy gay couple, the young single Mom… the positive girl who will make a TikTok every single day to tell you just how a good day this is and how perfect a human being you are, just sitting from the top of her Mom’s staircase and yelling at her phone.
It’s a lot of labelling, but seeing them all owning those labels through creative content has a somewhat liberating effect. One thing TikTok has undeniably managed to do, in reaction to oh-so-perfect Instagram or oh-so-hateful YouTube, is allowing people who feel different to reveal what used to be seen as bizarre or worse, weak, and turn it into strength. Saying out loud why you don’t conform to the old simplistic rules of society is the new mainstream.
Maybe that’s what makes TikTok so inspiring and relatable, besides the fact that it is definitely funnier than Instagram. One question that remains is: will the multiplication of labels and the recognition that we are all beautiful and broken really change the game of influence and fame? My guess is not really: TikTok does not make overnight influencers, besides what some would like to believe. If you look at actual TikTok stars, their content is very much thought through. The early-adopters have worked hard to get to their million followers and 100K views (here explained by The Real Rahul Rai or Your Rich Mom Christelle Lim)
TikTok’s focus on content is exactly what prevents overnight influence to happen. You can have one or two successful TikToks, but it will take actual effort and work to make it to the #foryou page regularly. Diversity of creators doesn’t change anything to the exigence of quality in creation. The next challenge for brands will be to become as good content creators as the TikTok kids. To do so, maybe they will also need to show how beautiful, broken and real they really are.
