Afrikaans TikTok exposed as a ticking time bomb

This week, a new documentary, Tiektok boem (Tick-tock-boom), had tongues wagging on social media in anticipation of the shocking world of Afrikaans TikTok.

As a journalist and content creator on the platform, I also had a finger in the pie, not only as a guest on the show (the journalist who discovers the dark side of a social media platform), but also as a researcher.

This was a role I was not only eager to take on, but one I am proud of because I learnt so much about the production industry and storytelling on other platforms outside of print media, online media or social media – this was Showmax baby.

Shockingly the TikTokers did not receive the documentary as well as expected.

“Wat ’n pot-snot”, loosely translated to “What a pot of mucus or snot” read some of the comments, while some ironically described the documentary as boring and nothing new.

This was feedback I didn’t expect, especially considering I hadn’t seen the documentary at that point, unlike those who have the time of day to watch documentaries at 7am and comment on random pages.

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I first had to work, attend to the kids and then sit down to watch the programme I worked so hard at creating.

It was just the tip of the iceberg of unlawfulness that takes place on the For You Page.

Little wonder the TikTokers who spend hours online and huge amounts of money on gifts, found the documentary boring.

From assault videos to drama Lives, these drama lives have become synonymous with the Afrikaans community on the platform that discusses anything and everything and every time seems to reach a new level of outrageousness.

Men calling men out to knife and gunfights at local McDonald’s outlets on livestreams while people listened and watched on.

Again, this might be why regular TikTok users found the documentary boring, because not only did they want to see more drama and violence they are used to getting on their fingertips uncensored, unregulated and uninterrupted.

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While the app became a great platform for the average Joe to earn an extra income, it also turned into a cybercrime hotspot, with many scams, catfishing and extortion, to some extent, as many use freedom of speech or expression to favour and finance themselves.

The other issue with the incidents on the platform is that users have been seen going to the police station while livestreaming to open protection order cases against other users which usually lead to nothing – leaving me to wonder if it was content or merely wasting the time of the police.

The police don’t have a department to regulate cybercrimes, cyberbullying or fundraisings and scams that happen on livestream – which means some of these users and creators get away with online violations.

While there were bigger things happening around us like floods, a delayed budget speech and other socioeconomic challenges, this remained a ticking time bomb, because if people could get away with petty offences on livestreams what can they get away with behind closed doors?

The Zanzou nightclub story also exploded on social media after a former bouncer under questionable circumstances released videos of things that happened behind closed doors, sending shock waves across social media.

While social media has become a great platform to expose and shed light on the dark, one cannot help but wonder if it has not only desensitised the user, but also become a curse more than a blessing.

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