The loneliness epidemic - by Arnab Ghosh
The rise of TikTok from the mid 2010s ushered in a new era of social networking online where the TikTok algorithm started acting as the broadcasting media. It almost became a replacement for the BBC to broadcast interesting content to the consumers. However, in the pursuit of maximizing time spent this new model of consuming media online (later adopted by Instagram Reels, Youtube Shorts and Snapchat Spotlight) ushered in new problems.
For millenia humans evolved to listen and learn from each others stories. The invention of fire ushered in a new reality in which people sat down at night and traded stories. Those who could captivate the audience with their tales gained prominence as leaders of the tribe. Those who could consume the stories effectively learnt how to avoid the poisonous berries or to avoid the parts of the forest where angels feared to tread. However the distribution and consumption of these stories were a bi-directional bond. The already existing bond between the story teller and the listener was enhanced by the power of the story.
In the generation of TikTok we have completely flipped the script of the relationship between the storyteller (Content Creators on TikTok like Charli D Amelio etc) and the consumer (people like you and me). We’re just a number to Charli D Amelio and we on the other hand would probably never meet Charli D Amelio ever in our lives.
