BHUBANESWAR: Supporters of various political parties have taken the digital space of the country by storm using popular entertainment app TikTok.
From lip-syncing Prime Minister Narendra Modito creating memes featuring Congress president Rahul Gandhi, political discourses have taken over the thematic dimension of the app.
A BJP supporter Sriram Ray said, “Social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are being extensively used by Indian politicians for campaigning ahead of the election. TikTok is making steady headway in this field as it has been downloaded 240 million times in India so far. As a supporter of Modi, I share his ideas through TikTok.”
However, as it is a Chinese app, some city folks have demanded a ban on TikTok saying that it is the duty of all Indians to take steps to prevent the economic gains of any nation or individual that directly or tacitly supports terrorists.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become major sources of distractions for the youths. With these they connect with the world and share their personal information and videos. One of these is TikTok– one of the most popular apps in India with 100 million downloads and 20 million monthly active users.
Owned by China-based Bytedance, TikTok is a popular lip-sync app. The world is going gaga over the tunes of this app which allows its user to create their own videos miming their favourite songs, movie dialogues or someone’s speech with visual effects to spice up their videos. Later, they share them with their friends. There is also a live-streaming feature that allows users to send virtual “gifts” to their favourite creators that can be bought with real money.
Many videos and clips in TikTok make sense and provide knowledge. That apart, the videos are funny, which is the main reason for its fast popularity among youths. A 15-sec video is enough of an entertainment dope for you. “TikTok is basically to showcase your acting skill in a creative manner,” Reshma Sagar, an avid user of the app, said.
“To be honest, I don’t know why I like this app. I guess it’s just fun and I’ve met a bunch of really great people there. I’ve also gotten pretty inspired by some of the people out there. And it’s addicting. The videos are really fun to make and the effects are fun to mess with.”
Bijayanand Meher, another user of TikTok, said, “TikTok is a platform for those who want to showcase their talent in front of people. There are some users like Manjul and Faisal, who became so popular on TikTok that now they make music albums. And now I’m also trying to be one of them.”
On one side TikTok users appreciate the app while others think that the app is just a waste of time and a medium to gain attention. Yasmine Lenka (student) said, “It is rather irritating. But one thing that I noticed is that everyone is trying to become a celebrity through this app by making creepy videos what with the meme ‘Chai Pilo Friends’.”
Tamil Nadu government sought a ban on TikTok because the app was found polluting the minds of the youths and encouraged pornography. Although immensely popular, TikTok has drawn criticism. Some of its critics said that sexual predators increasingly use this app to target children. Various cases have been reported where pictures and images have been morphed and uploaded on TikTok. A flip side of the technology per se.
Pooja Meher, OP
