By Jasmine Phillips
From vlogging, to making viral memes, to using social media to promote their art, the creativity of Millennials and Gen Z is undeniable. And now that we’re all “bored in the house, and in the house bored,” these two generations have turned to a new social platform to creatively express themselves—Tik Tok.
Tik Tok—a video-sharing social networking app—became available to U.S. users in 2018. The app quickly rose as a favorite, becoming the seventh-most-downloaded mobile app of the decade (2010–2019). Since quarantine began in March 2020, the app has only further exploded in popularity, with an increased amount of users logging on to create their own videos, ranging from comedy, to dance challenges, to cute animal clips.
The app groups videos by the hashtags with which users label their videos. Tik Tok’s algorithm is scarily accurate as well—like a certain hashtag, your feed will soon be filled with videos on that same topic. Are you a single, queer, millennial who loves plants? Your “for you” page will soon be overrun with other flora-loving, #cottagecore queers.
As a Black queer person, my personal feed is filled with videos that boast the hashtags #LGBT and #Black&Gay. However, another that often graces my page is #relationshipgoals. While, yes, there are a ton of LGBTQ couples who use the platform to showcase their relationship, this particular hashtag is still predominantly associated with white, heterosexual couples. This leaves me to ponder: Who gets to define #relationshipgoals? Are only heteronormative relationships worthy of being celebrated? What about users who aren’t interested in relationships at all? Are they any less valuable? What do our #relationshipgoals look like as Black queer people?
In the Deep South, it can be difficult to even begin to search for the answers to these questions. Much of the time, we are scared to publicly share our relationships out of fear of repercussions from our families and social circles. It personally took me a good amount of time to be open about my relationship on social media. I was fearful and ashamed. But I took the risk, put my truth out there, and was met only with relief. It now gives me joy to showcase how and who I love.
While Tik Tok presents a predominantly carefree app for comedic, feel-good videos, it also provides a platform for education, advocacy, and visibility. The Black queer community has the opportunity to showcase our lives, our love, and the things about our identities that we hold sacred. It can help us grow, uplift one another, and stay connected during challenging times. Tik Tok presents the opportunity to make Black queerness go viral—and for us to redefine #relationshipgoals.
