TikTok is one of today’s most popular social media outlet. People of all ages use TikTok to create entertaining content as well as other sorts of mass media.
Sam Houston State students have different views on these videos and notice the influence the app is having on coverage of events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion on Ukraine. This led to a widespread rumor of a possible World War III causing panic across the globe.
TikTok users filled the main page with different theories and perspectives on the topic. Many of the videos created involved what many may find as insensitive humor and others served as very informative content.
“By showing videos about the subject, TikTok lets people see the different sides of the war,” Sam Houston State University student Danielle Tello said. “It’s similar to news stations being biased on some spectrums. I do like that TikTok has allowed videos related to the war to be shown on its media platforms, but it does get tricky with how it’s being shown. Either way, I think that by TikTok allowing these videos to surface gives others little or more insight if they don’t already know about the situation.”
Although many may agree that TikTok serves as a useful outlet for current news, some consider it to be more of an entertaining environment. Several viewers find most TikTok videos on the topic of war to be insensitive and immature considering the circumstances.
“I’ve seen many videos done by different points of views and most are to spread some sort of dark humor,” Sam Houston State University Alumna Eric Aguilar said. “Many consider this a coping mechanism, but I feel it to be insensitive especially during the circumstances that the people of Ukraine are facing. People are dying and these are troubling times, I think its best to spread awareness on a serious note.”
These perspectives show that not everyone agrees one how coverage of this war on social media is being handled. And staying literate and up to date on the current news about the conflict can help you avoid misinformation on social media.
