If you’re an avid user of Tik Tok, chances are you might’ve come across a recent trend which makes use of something that can be referred to as “generational thinking”. If you aren’t an avid user of Tik Tok, then I have got some bad news for you pal. Chances are this trend is about you – the older folks, the out-of-touch. What’s that you say? You’re not that old, you just don’t really like Tik Tok? Ha! “OK Boomer.”
In case you didn’t catch it, that last bit right there… that is the trend. “O-K Boomer.” At first glance, this phrase may seem harmless; just a simple message of affirmation addressed to those born in the Boomer Generation (i.e., 1946 – 1964), but when you add a sprinkle of sarcasm, and hint of context, it suddenly takes on a new, almost opposite meaning. Essentially, what this Gen-Z trend attempts to do is dismiss conservative views by labeling those who make them as “Boomers” – insinuating that they are out of touch – and agreeing with them sarcastically, so that the resultant effect is ironically equivalent to saying, “shut up”.
While a statement from Pew Research Center’s “The Why’s and How’s of Generational Research” that “an individual’s age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors” (Pew 1) does support this use of “generational thinking”, the trend’s evolution as it was propagated throughout the platform saw “OK Boomer” go from a phrase that was used on actual members of the Baby Boomer generation, to one that could be used on anyone who expressed conservative beliefs or appeared out-of-touch or even just disagreed, regardless of their age. In my opinion, that is where it went from being a use of generational thinking, to ultimately becoming an abuse of it.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know 🙂
The commentary on Tik Tok seems to somewhat mirror that of what was levied at previous platforms like Facebook and the like. However, it might be interesting to see how a Tik Tok user would respond to the valid concerns/criticisms of the platform as regards the fact that it might be viewed as a large-scale social engineering attack on US user data by the Chinese Government. Also interesting to see how users will migrate or complain if the US government succeeds in banning the app outright.