The young have been getting a bad rap for wanting to party on while COVID-19 sends the world into lockdown. But a different movie is playing itself out on the social platform that is growing fastest among teenagers: TikTok.
Awareness campaigns by TikTok itself, collaboration with the International Red Cross, and spontaneous videos made by TikTok creators have combined into a barrage of information, education, awareness and social consciousness around the coronavirus.
Both globally and in South Africa, TikTok’s COVID-19 campaigns have gone viral.
The local #HayiCorona challenge, designed to remind people not to touch their face and wash hands regularly, has passed 1.5-million views. The TikTok collaboration with the International Red Cross, the #WashingHands challenge, has passed 12.6-million views.
One of the best-known participants in these challenges is the past year’s icon of South African talent, the Ndlovu Youth Choir, took up the global challenge with a 20-second hand-washing video. It put together a performance that brings tremendous energy to what can be a clichéd message, and ends with a punt for the Department of Health’s WhatsApp information service. The video can be viewed below.
@ndlovuyouthchoir Our community has limited access to running water. Follow these instructions on how to safely wash your hands using a bucket. ##coronavirus##washinghands
♬ original sound – ndlovuyouthchoir
“On a global scale, TikTok also partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure that, while creators are still having fun and expressing themselves on the platform, they stay informed with COVID-19 information coming from a reliable source,” a TikTok spokesperson told us. “Through the partnership, the WHO has created an informational page on TikTok that offers information to curb the spread of the coronavirus as well as dispelling myths.”
The page can be viewed at https://vm.tiktok.com/GHTEGf
TikTok has hosted a number of livestreams with WHO experts, attracting users from more than 70 countries, tuning in for live question and answer sessions. It has also introduced labels on coronavirus-related videos, to point users to trusted information. Resources are also offered directly in the app and in a dedicated COVID-19 section of TikTok’s Safety Center, at https://www.tiktok.com/safety/resources/covid-19.
If users simply want to explore videos on the topic, they can search via the #coronavirus hashtag, or click on https://vm.tiktok.com/swKbn4. The hashtag has had an astonishing 33.8-billion views, indicating the scale of activity and interest around the topic on the platform.
Read more on the next page about how South Africans have embraced the campaign.
South African TikTok creators have embraced the campaign wholeheartedly. For example, comedian Nathan – or @nathanmolefe on TikTok – had more than 5,000 Likes for his video on social distancing. He also took part in #SafeHands and #21DaysLockdownSA challenges.
“During the national lockdown, people will have a lot of free time and we are seeing how the TikTok community has united around the things that show we’re more alike than ever before,” he says. “We all want to have a good laugh, but we also know it is important to stay knowledgeable.”
@nathanmolefe Tag your friends and try this! Dc: @safiruy ##nathanvidz ##foryoupage ##trending ##trend ##viral ##friends ##coronavirus ##quarantine ##lockdown ##covid19 ##foru
♬ original sound – nathanmolefe
@nathanmolefe I’m officially disowning him as a sibling🚮he’s a traitor💔 ##nathanvidz ##siblingsbelike ##sibling ##comedy ##relatable ##funny ##foryoupage ##foryou ##fyp
♬ original sound – nathanmolefe
The default TikTok video, typically a tedious attempt to dance for 60 seconds while sharing the latest inane thoughts, has also been given new life. Dancers in particular are able to turn that approach into educational videos.
According to dancer and choreographer @Kelly_KiKx, TikTok contributes to educating users about healthy habits through hygiene tips.
“What’s great about being part of the TikTok community is that there’s an outlet for many to share their views and experiences around the coronavirus pandemic,” she says. “But it’s also a place to make some good lighthearted content to bring the masses out of the stress they may be feeling around the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Kelly’s videos on remaining active and healthy during the lockdown can be viewed here:
@kelly_kikx 💃🏽:@mizzko 😎: @imarkkeyz.x2 @iamcardib 🧼:@mekailamathys @luke_dekock ##cardibchallenge ##coronavirus ##coronaviruschallenge
♬ Cardi Corona Virus Challenge – mizzko
@kelly_kikx Here’s some things you can do when you ##boredathome ! ##stayathome ##happyathome ##quarantine ##coronavirus ##21daylockdown ##snakechallenge
♬ Bored In My House by TIAGZ – iamtiagz
@kelly_kikx Going to miss my nature ventures during ##21daylockdown | ##dance ##happyathome @davonte.casa @ajani.huff @its_nupur
♬ Roses – Imanbek Remix – SAINt JHN
Greg Justice, head of content programming at TikTok US, echoes Nathan’s sentiments: “As the world comes together to fight the spread of COVID-19, we’re confronted with the cruel irony that one of the most important ways to combat the virus – social distancing – requires us to physically isolate ourselves from our fellow human beings. Being asked to stay home can be unnerving, especially when there’s so much uncertainty. We feel it, too. But one thing that has really moved our team is seeing the TikTok community unite around the things that show we’re more alike now than ever before.”
Justice emphasises the point that we’re all adjusting to new normals: “Coping with boredom, processing our uneasiness, and adjusting our daily habits. We couldn’t be more inspired by the strong show of compassion and solidarity across the TikTok community.”
- Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram on @art2gee
Read more on the next page about #HappyAtHome with TikTok
#HappyAtHome with TikTok
TikTok last week partnered with a wide range of personalities and creators to launch #HappyAtHome: LIVE!, nightly programming that ran every day of the week.
“The goal is simple: share in a bit of levity, provide some comfort, and embrace the responsibility we all have to do the right thing by staying inside and stopping the spread,” said Greg Justice, head of content programming at TikTok US. “There’s a lot we can’t do right now, but this is one small way we can all help each other during these trying times.”
The schedule for this week, provided by Justice, gave a superb overview of what is possible on TikTok:
- Motivation Monday: TikTok kicked off the week with inspirational talks, workouts, dance classes, and cooking tips featuring Tyra Banks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Derek Hough, tWitch & Allison Holker, and Eitan Bernath.
- Kick Back Tuesday: Some of TikTok’s most popular creators presented a game night, makeup tutorials, and chat sessions, with the likes of Loren Gray, Charli D’Amelio, Adam Ray, and Addison Rae.
- Show & Tell Wednesday: The star of Dear Evan Hansen, Jordan Fisher, stepped into magic tricks with Zach King, and TikTok aimed to “keep it real” with actress and entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross.
- EduTok Thursday: TikTok teamed up with the likes of Dr. Phil and Bill Nye for thoughtful conversations, advice, and life tips. It also continued to livestream Q&A sessions with the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Sound Check Friday: TikTok offered intimate performances from top artists’ homes, such as Grammy award winner and host Alicia Keys, along with Jason Derulo, Megan Thee Stallion, Troye Sivan, Meghan Trainor, Yungblud, Hailee Steinfeld, Lauv, Kelsea Ballerini, and DJ Khale.
“We hope #HappyAtHome: LIVE! will not only help us embrace the importance of social distancing, but also bring some genuine comfort and connection in a very isolating moment in time,” said Justice.
“But this is just one of the ways we’re trying to help. We’re also focused on doing everything we can for communities beyond the app, including donating to WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund to aid global health providers, partnering with After-School All-Stars to distribute food for hard-hit families across the US, and matching donations from our employees to a range of global and local initiatives to support those in need.”
Search TikTok with the hashtag #HappyAtHome to get a sense of the kind of material that can be created from home, anywhere in the world. The videos range from those with 4 views to those with 4-million.