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Why the TikTok era spells trouble for the establishment
Populism is the winner in the shift from traditional to social media and from text to video and audio.
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Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram now dwarf Facebook, X and Bluesky among young people, and the same shift is under way among adults.
PHOTO: AFP
John Burn-Murdoch
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Commuting on public transport has always provided a convenient opportunity to assess changing forms of media consumption. Seventy years ago, you would have seen a sea of heads buried in newspapers. From around 15 years ago, it was eyes glued to screens.
At first glance, the picture today is similar, but that misses a subtle difference. Previously those screens tended to show words; now you’ll glimpse the telltale flickering of a never-ending stream of bite-sized videos.
