TikTok is perceived as a highly addictive video sharing platform with a lot of lively music and dance videos that encourages participation and replication: think macarena times 100 million. For many people it sounds like frivolous waste of time.

But  the app has revealed itself to have more depth than initially meets the eye.

TikTok can be a place to learn, become politically aware and even discover new things about yourself.

Scrolling through, you can find a science lesson on climate change from Bill Nye the science guy. You can find lessons on Indigenous languages. How to dress for your body type. Or up to date news and election coverage.

While the app definitely has its downsides – its upsides are worth paying attention to. On this week’s episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient, we explore how TikTok is helping its users build strong communities, and also how the app’s algorithm is treating marginalized folks and their stories. 

Producer Haley Lewis speaks with Jessie Loyer, Indigenous librarian from Mount Royal University and TikTok micro-influencer about TikTok’s potential as a tool for education. And Vinita chats with Crystal Abidin, associate professor in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. She is the founder of TikTok Cultures, a global TikTok research hub. Also joining the conversation is Jas Morgan, assistant professor of English at Toronto Metropolitan University and facilitator of the Digital Wahkohtowin & Cultural Governance Lab.

Show notes:
https://theconversation.com/tiktok-is-more-than-just-a-frivolous-app-for-lip-syncing-and-dancing-podcast-182264

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