TikTok Newsletter 09
Journalism, military and the dish of the day
Hello subscriber!
This was a pretty messy week:
* TikTok sues President Trump – fending off the sanctions as far as possible
* TikTok reveals user numbers – U.S. users up nearly 800% percent from Jan. 2018
* TikTok CEO Kevin Meyer quits – he appeared to play second fiddle
* Microsoft wants to spend around 20-30 billions – Soap Opera
* Microsoft and Walmart teaming up to buy TikTok – Why Walmart
* Rival Triller wanting to buy TikTok too – probably, well maybe. It´s complicated
Allegedly we will know more about the final deal soon. Until then, let us dig a little deeper into why TikTok has become an inevitable source for journalists and a short excursion to the land of military TikTok.
🗞️TikTok journalism
🎖️Military TikTok
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🗞️TikTok journalism
Why should i care about TikTok as a journalist. You can find sources, stories and here.
The terrible Kenosha shooting is a good example how TikTok and Insta literacy directly lead to a better reporting (Buzzfeed News, August 26). That is because suspect Kyle Rittenhouse was very active on social media. Showing him posing with weapons, posting “Blue Lives Matter,” and supporting Trump for president. Buzzfeed writes “Footage from the Des Moines, Iowa, rally on Jan. 30 shows Rittenhouse feet away from the president, in the front row, to the left of the podium. He posted a TikTok video from the event.” The video has since been taken down.
The New York Times has reported Officer Is Fired After TikTok Videos Show His Arrest of Black Woman. 13 years after the first iPhone we see a gazillion of
smartphones videos and livestreams documenting nearly every aspect of life. You as a journalist should be able to find, understand and analyse these videos. For a start, here are 10 tips for verifying viral social media videos. The First Draft Initiative has an advanced verification training for journalists.
Greta Thunberg has returned back to school but the whole topic eco and green is nonetheless gaining traction among the young. The Guardian has an article on Green teen memes: how TikTok could save the planet. Observing hashtags like “moss”, “biodiversity” and “native biodiversity” that have 84.3 million, 12.6 million and nearly 800,000 views respectively on TikTok. A subculture known as “grass TikTok” – which has gathered nearly 380 million views – has also emerged on the app. And then there is EcoTok, a collective of young creators aiming to become the environmental “Hype House”. And hey, there is a subculture known as “grass TikTok”
These are just three random examples of TikTok being used in the news process as an inevitable ressource. Have you found a topic to write about on TikTok or do you have a favourite use case of TikTok journalism? Please let me know. Thx!
🎖️Military TikTok
United States Army soldiers can no longer use TikTok on government-owned phones following a decision to ban the app. “It is considered a cyber threat,” Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa told Military.com. On December 30th 2019! But that hasn’t seemed to have made much of an impact. Even worse or entertaining or normal or strange is a series of hyper-sexualized military TikTok clips.
Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ causes controversy on military TikTok is the headline of an article on militarytimes.com that sites a survey carried out by Sandboxx: 42 percent of respondents (436 in total) say they use TikTok at least once a month, with a quarter (24 percent) saying they use it daily. This is despite many branches banning the app’s use on government devices and warning against its use on personal devices.
Social Media is and has been a double-edged sword for the military. While promoting soldiers and the army as relatable there have been many cases where posts have revealed activities or even secrets.
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So much for now. I hope you have a great weekend. I will be back next week. Probably with a new US TikTok owner and more stuff. Oh and here is video for all foodies. Lifting up the entire game to a new level.
Bon Appétit
Marcus 🥬