99. Are the new Charles Chaplin or Buster Keaton on TikTok?
New
social media platforms keep on coming. Not surprisingly, whenever a new
industry explodes a goldrush ensues which only stops well after newcomers have
nothing to contribute. Inertia is not only an inescapable force in physics, but
also in society. I have just been exposed to Tik Tok, the Chinese video sharing
platform which relies for its content on users recording making fools of
themselves and sharing this with the World. The egocentrism, self-absorption
and obsession with meaningless limelight that it exposes in our young does not
bode too well for the future, but let us see how it evolves before we judge it
too harshly. The silly, slapstick humour is at first sight reminiscent of
Chaplin or Keaton, the hapless falls and overchoreographed stunts. But then you
remember, it was not the kicks on the butts of unfortunate policemen that made
Chaplin great, but the social, political and human meaning of his content, as
far removed from the empty Tik Tok content as one can imagine
Length: 995 characters
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