I’ve been looking at TikTok. For research, you understand. I’m still refusing to download the app - I maintain that if you’re over 40 and on TikTok, you should be on some sort of register.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not being a technophobe or a snob. I’m aware that it’s being put to good use by campaigners and there’re some really fun creators on there doing excellent work. I even follow some of them, albeit via Instagram - I recommend Denmark’s Kelly Louise Killjoy, whose Nordic Class videos are a delight. (Here’s her YouTube playlist, if you too fear TikTok.)
But TikTok does seem to be mostly used to talk about trends that I’m too old to know or care about. And that’s as it should be, right? It’s not for me. I was around when Facebook exploded and I remember two excruciating things:
everyone’s mum joining … and everyone trying to decide whether it would worse to decline a friend request from their own mum or let their mum see what they’d been up to
every brand and media organisation desperately trying to work out how to “get on Facebook”.
I’ve no desire to invade younger folk’s personal (digital) space. But I do need to know more about TikTok. (I mean, the fact that I’m only now starting to take it seriously tells you everything, doesn’t it?) So, I decided to spend some time looking at what news organisations were doing on there. Oh god. My eyes.
When I said ‘I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe’ it didn’t mean some gross or incomprehensible trend. What I’ve seen is people either trying too hard or - more frequently - just trying their best to get to grips with something baffling and modern. I wept for them. I’m not going to name names. Because this stuff gets around - and I don’t want the journalists to hate themselves anymore than they clearly already do in those films.
And now a public information message for news organisations: EMPLOY SOME YOUNG PEOPLE. For the love of god…
I’ve written before about the triggering effect of younger colleagues' success and talent. If anyone out there is currently recruiting, let me refer to my helpful and informative article in which I conclude we should get over ourselves. Why play catch-up when we could have someone on the team who’s already up to speed?
The wait is nearly over …
Another public service announcement: not long now before the new series of Derry Girls - back next week, on Tuesday 12th April! Until then, let’s spend some quality time with Sister Michael.
Badge pinboard
Dance it out. Great advice for life. Unless you are a middle-aged journalist who has been forced onto TikTok, in which case, do not dance it out. (I hear the algorithm favours the colour pink though, so that’s something to think about.)