Spencer X appears in TikTok, Boom. by Shalini Kantayya, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
I swore I’d never download TikTok. After feeling the heartbreak of watching Vine end I couldn’t understand how this new app could be better. No way. Now I find myself scrolling before bed every night on that very haunting, always entertaining, life at my fingertips app, TikTok. This cultural phenomena has become a space that has brought people together, regardless of age and location. But there’s more to this origin story, that’s not even close to over.
The new Sundance Documentary, TikTok, Boom, directed by Shalini Kantayya, is here to remind you of the history that has shaped our social media lives. TikTok has pioneered the careers of numerous stars, artists and influencers. It’s a hub of current activity in the world, instead of checking the news we check TikTok. What once was just an app with kids doing dances on it has become a platform for all sects of life.
TikTok Boom reveals how this globally loved and hated app came to be. TikTok started as an app in China called ByteDance with the same concept really. The company then went on to buy Musical.ly, a lip synching app. This merger of the two became TikTok. And thus the platform we know today began its reign over lives.
The documentary highlights a few influencers’ lives, some with political platforms, one with a beatboxing dream and others trying to navigate their identity. TikTok has its positives and negatives. Both are approached by director, Kantayya, which is nice to see. It runs the gamut of, “this is great” and “it can be used for evil”. It’s beautiful to see people be able to find a community and voice through something as simple as an app. It’s also scary to see those who take the app and use it for more malicious endeavors. If anything the legality of TikTok does need to be refined and there is a pro and con to the platform.
There is of course the main focus of data and censorship that is the true underlying question of TikTok’s intentions. They are taking your data, there is no doubt there. The “for you page” follows an algorithm that learns what you like and tailor makes a sect of videos that might appeal to you. It’s a bit scary but also sort of welcome in a strange way. I love scrolling to find a video that is something niche I love but I know the app got there through some devious terms and conditions that I ultimately agreed to.
Censorship within TikTok is a frightening thing that the documentary took the time to address. They have the ability to skew the information presented to the audience at hand. That’s pretty much every social media’s devious intention as of now, including TikTok. If you’re presenting an opinion that differs from that of the platform you’re creating on, well buckle up, shadow ban ahead. One of the creators even talks about how she had to disguise her politically charged informational videos as simple make-up tutorials so the app wouldn’t notice. Ultimately it did and she was banned for a while. The powers at be are listening and watching but the monster has already been created and loved.
TikTok is a space that terrifies and excites me. It’s dangerous and yet allows you to reach millions of people with one post. There are things that make us cry and laugh all popping up on our screen within seconds. The younger children using the app scare me in a sense, I worry that children could be taken advantage of for the sake of views or even for malicious things. It’s such a hard line to walk. You want everyone to be able to have a space but will it be safe? Probably not. But at least there’s a space. It’s our job to try and make it safe now.
TikTok, Boom is a documentary that is merely the first few chapters in a story of what will become from this social media platform. There will be more, there is no doubt. Until then we have this great little historical film that reminds us where this generational new outlet came from.
In the end TikTok is what you make of it. The documentary, TikTok Boom is here to remind you of the good and the bad. It’s here to show you where things came from, how they came to be and the current status of this phenomenon. If you are a little curious about how your obsession was created I highly suggest getting TikTok, Boom on your own for you page of your TV screen.
TikTok, Boom. had its World Premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section of of Sundance Film Festival 2022.
Director: Shalini Kantayya
Rated: NR
Runtime: 90m
Rating: 4 out of 5
Writer. Geek. Final Girl.
