May Update
Hello everyone! Wow, I can’t believe it is May. I genuinely thought that it was a week earlier… Like, April the 25th. But, nope. It is May today. I will admit, I am writing this post in a bit of a frenzy. Life has been insanely busy (whose isn’t?) but I want to continue publishing monthly updates for all of you. Anyway, I wanted to write about the potential American ban of TikTok and how that relates to free speech, social trends as a commodity, and content creation. Truthfully though, my brain, just doesn’t want to brain. Here’s what I have come up with though:
Made with Adobe Firefly.
***
Let me preface by saying that I'm not actually anti-capitalism. In theory, it's meant to incentivize innovation and fuel the good old "American Dream" and its Canadian equivalent. However, it's clear that our current society isn't embracing the capitalism we've read about in textbooks. I'd argue that our current economic system hasn’t been true capitalism for quite some time now. Take a look at the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and the financial repercussions many companies have faced due to boycotts. I'm not educated enough in the topic to explain what’s happening now, but the free-market system is clearly defunct.
Anyway, I digress! For the sake of this article, let’s refer to our current economic system as "Late Stage Capitalism." It's like capitalism's evil twin, with twisted policies that most people don’t/can’t understand because, God forbid, "regular" people profit and become successful. And an evil mustache. One of Late Stage Capitalism’s major flaws (or features, depending on who you ask) is the constant commodification of subcultures and social movements. Punk, goth, the Occupy Movement… Subcultures have been commodified ever since the first farmer ripped his pants and decided to wear them ironically... or something like that.
What is truly worrisome, though, is the rate at which this commodification is happening, thanks in no small part to the rise of platforms like TikTok. It's like every scroll, every swipe is trying to convince us that if we spend enough and buy just the right things, we can buy our way to a new identity. To the right identity. Each TikTok trend isn't just a passing fad; it's a pitch, packaged as self-expression. Blueberry nails? Latte-colored hair? Consume, consume, consume.
Rather than just complain, though, we need to figure out a solution. However, like with every co-opted subculture and trend from the past, our only option appears to be to keep creating so that capitalism has even more culture to commodify. We can stay one step ahead and continue to have self-expression. Man, I’m exhausted. Are you exhausted? Who wants to start a business selling something that combats adrenal exhaustion? Gen Alpha is going to need it when they grow up.
***
Upon re-reading that text, I realized that I haven’t touched on any of the other issues with TikTok, such as it being spyware, or that if you go down some dark rabbit holes, you can find people glorifying mental illness and self harm. Sigh. Maybe I’ll re-write this article for June, provided life finally slows down!
What are your thoughts on TikTok being banned? Or social media in general? Comment below!
Ashley