The app TikTok has over 800 million active users worldwide, ranging from children to the elderly. It is easy to say that TikTok is almost the backbone of the world currently. When thinking of the past few months or the current time, what topics come to mind? The Corona Virus has changed lives, and most people have never experienced anything like it before. Also, body images for women have become so unattainable in recent times. If someone were to create a “this moment in history” starter pack, the obvious topics to include would be TikTok and the rise of it, COVID-19, and bodily standards for women.
First off, it is no question that TikTok is the app with the largest audience and the greatest amount of influence currently. “TikTok responds to a basic human need--deeper, even, than the need to be entertained or amused or diverted. TikTok tells its audience, "There are young people just like you." It's a powerful weapon in the war against loneliness” (Long). The app is a place where people of all ages can express themselves and find communities of people just like them. It has become a tool for teenagers to reach out of comfort zones and make new friends. With the help of TikTok, teenagers are becoming more educated about the world around them. The amount of information is endless and can go from procedures in the emergency room to how laws are passed throughout the government. It is also a place for news to spread. Nowadays, this is where people go to find out what is happening in the world around them. With that being said, TikTok beyond any doubt earns a place in the starter pack for this moment in history.
Furthermore, the Coronavirus is the most important event to have happened in the past year. With this being the first pandemic most people have experienced, no one had any clue how to handle the massive situation at hand. With that being said, there were many effects on Americans. One of the most difficult issues is that the ability to afford basic household necessities decreased for many people (Gale 2020). Due to lockdown and businesses shutting down, people were losing jobs left and right. Many were not able to live just off of the unemployment checks that they were receiving from the government. Schools were shut down or switching to a virtual learning setting. The list of effects goes on and on. COVID-19 has changed the way that Americans live and the perceptions of the world around us for good.
Lastly, the bodily standards for women have become increasingly more difficult to obtain. Starting with advertisements in squares about the “perfect” beach body to social media promoting models and the unethical ways to achieve their bodies, it has become an epidemic on its own. Viren Swami states in her article, “By the time the supermodel Twiggy debuted in the United States in 1966, the trend toward increasingly slender bodies had taken hold. Playboy centrefolds and Miss America pageant winners all showed a decrease in body weight and hip size, and an increase in waist size, bust size and height between the 1960s and 1980s” (Swami). This goes to show that as time goes on, the body image ideals for women get more and more difficult. It is unhealthy and has caused eating disorders and depression in women all throughout the world. It is extremely unhealthy to promote these standards.
To conclude, there are many topics that could be considered for this moment in history starter pack. That being said the most important ones are Tiktok, the Coronavirus, and the unreachable body standards for women. Some might think it could be the pressing abortion rights or the advances in artificial intelligence. While those are important, they are not talked about as widely as the topics stated before. Tiktok has created a space for people to connect. Covid-19 has changed the way that all people are living their lives, for better or for worse. Also, body image standards and issues have become a pressing matter for women in our world today. 2020 and the early stages of 2021 have been increasingly difficult but there have been many great things to have happened. All of those which should be featured in a “this moment in history” starter pack.