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Maybe I am not getting it, but to me this long article is about something rather simple: some people got popular on a platform, then the platform was banned, an

Maybe I am not getting it, but to me this long article is about something rather simple: some people got popular on a platform, then the platform was banned, and they cannot easily re-create their following on other similar platforms available. A similar problem about the platforms themselves: the article mentions that a number of local Indian TikTok-lookalike platforms have been created, but none of them was able to get even a fraction of TikTok popularity. That said, I was pleased to learn about Savitri and Sanatan Mahto, and enjoyed a few of their videos (on Youtube, ironically).

geodel 5y ago
I mean you are right. Instagram in India (maybe many more places?) has an upscale, fashionable image to it and thronged by celebrities and wannabes. TikTok was platform for subaltern voices so to speak. So all in all one does not have to be slick fuck to be on TikTok and thats reason of popularity.
sgpl 5y ago
I think the article's trying to convey that instagram has a more curated look and so by algo-design/human-design doesn't reward videos/reels that are shot on poor resolution phones and those that don't directly follow their guidelines for being promoted - these can be barriers for folks from marginalized communities and folks that have poor access to resources. Tiktok on the other hand promoted your video to other users on the platform regardless of these 'requirements' and as a result those from poor/marginalized communities had the opportunity go viral and gain followers as well - without investment in the polish necessary to gain the same visibility on instagram. This polish could be in the form of better phones(cameras), better clothing or better backgrounds/scenes.
- bobthepanda 5y ago
  Eh, TikTok got a lot of heat for telling its moderators to downrank fat people, disabled people, and queer people, so this is not by any means one being better than the other. https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/2/20991843/tiktok-bytedance-platform-disabled-autism-lgbt-fat-user-algorithm-reach-limit https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/2/20991843/tiktok-bytedance...
  - Jensson 5y ago
    They weren't downranked, just ensured they didn't spread too much. I wouldn't be surprised if that is how all those marginalized communities started to love TikTok, since it created all these pockets of positivity instead of spreading the same videos to everywhere and everyone where they start to face more scrutiny and downvotes. Downranked would mean that it would have a hard time everywhere even locally within their communities, but that isn't what happened. I think they used that concept as a basis for their algorithms later, and just changing the recommendation algorithms changes the feel of the entire platform.
  - im3w1l 5y ago
    There are a lot more poor straight people than there are rich gay people. So tiktok may have been better for most people.
KennyBlanken 5y ago
It's hard to re-create your following when the new platform goes out of its way to exclude you during its launch (Reels was launched in India days after tiktok was banned), heavily promoting upper caste creators. It's sort of like CEOs who got where they were because of their social networks from private schools and prestigious colleges - and seed money from daddy. > But rather than court the same creators who had driven the Chinese company’s success, Facebook, Reels’ owner, kick-started its launch campaign by courting a set of influencers from upper-class backgrounds, including Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila, and Ammy Virk: “A catalog of aspiring lifestyle [examples] for middle-class and upper-middle-class Indians,” was how Dr. Rahul Advani, a research fellow at the University College London, described the launch to Rest of World. Facebook didn't know about popular tiktokers like the Mahtos, didn't care, or knew full well and specifically wanted to cater "rich lifestyle" content because it's better for selling ads, especially ads for expensive, high-profit-margin stuff.
- annzee 5y ago
  What are you going to do about it? Cry and hope grandma shows up?
- kumarvvr 5y ago
  You seem to be conflating rich lifestyle with castes. Sure, there are many wealthy individuals whobare from upper castes. There are also equally wealthy people from castes across the spectrum. Influencers are basically rich, urban, 90s gen people. Some of them are from upper castes, some are not.
  - changchuming 5y ago
    Is it not true that majority of rich people are upper caste though?
    - gremloni 5y ago
      It depends, merchants are pretty rich and wouldn’t be considered upper caste.
- 5y ago

geodel 5y ago

I mean you are right. Instagram in India (maybe many more places?) has an upscale, fashionable image to it and thronged by celebrities and wannabes. TikTok was platform for subaltern voices so to speak. So all in all one does not have to be slick fuck to be on TikTok and thats reason of popularity.

sgpl 5y ago

I think the article's trying to convey that instagram has a more curated look and so by algo-design/human-design doesn't reward videos/reels that are shot on poor resolution phones and those that don't directly follow their guidelines for being promoted - these can be barriers for folks from marginalized communities and folks that have poor access to resources. Tiktok on the other hand promoted your video to other users on the platform regardless of these 'requirements' and as a result those from poor/marginalized communities had the opportunity go viral and gain followers as well - without investment in the polish necessary to gain the same visibility on instagram. This polish could be in the form of better phones(cameras), better clothing or better backgrounds/scenes.

bobthepanda 5y ago
Eh, TikTok got a lot of heat for telling its moderators to downrank fat people, disabled people, and queer people, so this is not by any means one being better than the other. https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/2/20991843/tiktok-bytedance-platform-disabled-autism-lgbt-fat-user-algorithm-reach-limit https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/2/20991843/tiktok-bytedance...
- Jensson 5y ago
  They weren't downranked, just ensured they didn't spread too much. I wouldn't be surprised if that is how all those marginalized communities started to love TikTok, since it created all these pockets of positivity instead of spreading the same videos to everywhere and everyone where they start to face more scrutiny and downvotes. Downranked would mean that it would have a hard time everywhere even locally within their communities, but that isn't what happened. I think they used that concept as a basis for their algorithms later, and just changing the recommendation algorithms changes the feel of the entire platform.
- im3w1l 5y ago
  There are a lot more poor straight people than there are rich gay people. So tiktok may have been better for most people.

KennyBlanken 5y ago

It's hard to re-create your following when the new platform goes out of its way to exclude you during its launch (Reels was launched in India days after tiktok was banned), heavily promoting upper caste creators. It's sort of like CEOs who got where they were because of their social networks from private schools and prestigious colleges - and seed money from daddy. > But rather than court the same creators who had driven the Chinese company’s success, Facebook, Reels’ owner, kick-started its launch campaign by courting a set of influencers from upper-class backgrounds, including Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila, and Ammy Virk: “A catalog of aspiring lifestyle [examples] for middle-class and upper-middle-class Indians,” was how Dr. Rahul Advani, a research fellow at the University College London, described the launch to Rest of World. Facebook didn't know about popular tiktokers like the Mahtos, didn't care, or knew full well and specifically wanted to cater "rich lifestyle" content because it's better for selling ads, especially ads for expensive, high-profit-margin stuff.

annzee 5y ago
What are you going to do about it? Cry and hope grandma shows up?
kumarvvr 5y ago
You seem to be conflating rich lifestyle with castes. Sure, there are many wealthy individuals whobare from upper castes. There are also equally wealthy people from castes across the spectrum. Influencers are basically rich, urban, 90s gen people. Some of them are from upper castes, some are not.
- changchuming 5y ago
  Is it not true that majority of rich people are upper caste though?
  - gremloni 5y ago
    It depends, merchants are pretty rich and wouldn’t be considered upper caste.
5y ago