'Usizi luwumkhuba we-TikTok'

Omagazini bezobuhle bake bafundisa abafundi indlela yokusebenzisa izimonyo ukuze bafihle i-sesh ekhalayo muva nje. Kodwa manje, eyodwaI-TikTokUmkhuba usikhuthaza ukuba samukele lawo mehlo anenkungu kanye namakhala abomvu. Kubonakala sengathi “izimonyo ezikhalayo,” kungene.

Kuvidiyo ethole ukuthandwa okungaphezu kuka-507,000, umsunguli wokuqukethwe osekelwe eBoston uZoe Kim Kenealy unikeza isifundo "samantombazane angazinzile" ukuze abukeke ekhala kabusha ngisho noma "ungenaso isimo sokukhala".

Uqala nge-gloss ye-"leso sidebe esithambile nesikhukhumele", bese eshintsha isithunzi esibomvu sizungeze amehlo, bese ekugcineni efakai-eyeliner ekhazimulayoubuso bakhe bonke ukuze “bukhanye”. “Ngifuna ukubukeka sengathi ngiyakhala ngaso sonke isikhathi,” kusho omunye umbukeli. “Ngizizwa ngimuhle kakhulu ngemva kokukhala,” kubhala omunye. “Angikwazi ukubona ukuthi yimivimbo yamehlo noma ikhala elibomvu.”

UKenealy, oneminyaka engu-26 futhi onabalandeli abangu-119,000 be-TikTok, utshele i-Guardian ukuthi uphefumulelwe yizitayela ezimbili zokwakheka zase-East Asia: uDouyin no-Ulzzang. Zombili izinhlobo zihilela inani elikhulu lokufiphaza, ukukhazimula kanye nokugqamisa indawo engaphansi kwamehlo ukuze kube nomphumela we-cherubic.

“Kuphefumulelwe ukukhanya okusesweni lakho okutholayo ngemva kokukhala,” kusho uKenealy. Ugcizelela ukuthi ukubukeka kumane nje kuwubuhle, hhayi ukungathembeki. “Abantu – ikakhulukazi amadoda – bebelokhu bephawula ngokuthi ‘u-Amber Heard’ kuvidiyo yami,” esho, ebhekisela ezixukwini zabalandeli bakaJohnny Depp TikTok abakholelwa ukuthi owayengumkakhe wakhala ngamanga esiteji mayelana nokuxhashazwa kwakhe okusolwayo. “Kuyisimonyo engingeke ngisigqoke ngaphandle. Akuhloselwe ukukhohlisa noma ubani.”

Usizi, noma okungenani ukusebenza kwalo, lukhona kuyo yonke iTikTok – mhlawumbe ngoba lukhona emhlabeni wangempela futhi. Ku-Harvard Youth Poll ka-2021, intsha yaseMelika engaphezu kwengxenye ithe izizwa “idangele, icindezelekile, noma ingenathemba” ezinsukwini eziyisikhombisa ezedlule.

Futhi enkathini yezimpi zomhlaba wonke, ubandlululo oludlangile, inkinga yesimo sezulu engalawulwa kanye nesizungu esikhulu, umlomo obomvu awusanele. Esikhundleni salokho, kuye kwavela izitayela zobuhle ezihambisana nobuthakathaka banamuhla. Kukhona "i-dissociative pout", i-iD eyibize ngokuthi "i-lobotomy-chic, enamehlo afile" udadewabo omncane wezindebe zedada ezisanda kudlula ezazinethonya lango-2010. Ungakubona ekubukeni okufana nodoli ku-inthanethi kwe-waif ka-Euphoria uChloe Cherry, noma ukubuka okude ekhasini lika-Instagram lika-Olivia Rodrigo.

Noma yikuphi ukuhamba kungaba yi-#SadGirlWalk uma ulalela uLana Del Rey futhi ubheka kude ngokulangazelela. I-hashtag, enokubukwa okungaphezu kuka-504,000, ifaka amavidiyo abesifazane abasebasha bebukeka bedabukile ngenkathi bephethe ama-latte abandayo futhi bekhombisa izingubo zabo. “Ake ngikhale kuTaylor Swift ngenkathi ngihamba ngize ngingasakwazi,” kusho omunye umsebenzisi kuvidiyo yakhe.

UFredrika Thelandersson, umcwaningi we-postdoctoral ezifundweni zemidiya nezokuxhumana eLund University yaseSweden kanye nombhali wencwadi entsha ethi 21st Century Media and Female Mental Health, ufunda amasiko nemiphakathi yamantombazane aku-inthanethi.

“Esimweni samanje, osaziwayo kanye nemikhiqizo bafuna ukuba nobuqiniso, babonakale bengokoqobo,” kusho yena. “Enye indlela yokwenza lokhu ukudalula ukuxilongwa noma ukwembula ukuhlukumezeka. Kuyinzuzo ngempela ukukhombisa uhlobo oluthile lobuthakathaka.”

Lokhu kudlula kuTikTok, kuchaza uThelandersson, enciphisa incazelo yolimi lwezokwelapha nolwengqondo. “Ukuzihlukanisa kuyisibonakaliso se-PTSD, futhi manje sekuthathwa njengento enhle,” kusho yena. “Lokhu kusho lukhulu ngendlela abantu abangenzi kahle ngayo njengamanje futhi abadinga ukwesekwa, futhi imithombo yezokuxhumana iba yindawo lapho bengathola khona lokho ababengeke bakuthole ohlelweni lwezempilo lwendabuko.”

Kuthiwani uma othile ezenzisa ukudabuka kwakhe ngezinyembezi mbumbulu noma ngokubukeka okungekuhle nokungaqondile?

“Mhlawumbe kuwukwenza imizwa yokudabuka, kodwa kukhona isici sokuxhumana lapho uqaphela ukuthi abanye abantu bazizwa ngendlela efanayo, futhi lokho kuwuhlobo lokwamukeleka,” kusho uThelandersson. “Ungahlekisa ngalokho ngendlela othanda ngayo, kodwa kusenethemba ngandlela thile.”

IGen Z akusona isizukulwane sokuqala ukuthola ukukhanga kwe-oversharing louche – Izithonjana zeGen X ezifana noFiona Apple, uCourtney Love kanye no-Elizabeth Wurtzel ongasekho bonke bakwenze lokhu ngawo-90s. Umbhali u-Emily Gould waqala ukuqhakaza kwebhulogi ekuqaleni, ngokufaka okucacile okuvame ukuwela esigabeni sothando-nenzondo. I-Emo plays efana neParamore kanye neMy Chemical Romance yayilawula amashadi omculo ka-2010, enamagama okuvuma izono kanye nokubukeka okuseduze kwe-goth kwama-side bangs ahlekisayo kanye nokwakheka kwamehlo amnyama ngendlela emangalisayo.

U-Audrey Wollen, umbhali owasungula igama elithi “Sad Girl Theory” ngo-2014, wathola udumo ku-inthanethi ngesiphakamiso sakhe sokuthi ukudabuka esidlangalaleni kuyindlela esemthethweni yokuphikisa ubuzwe (yize uhlobo lukaWollen lwentombazane yaseTumblr ehlala idlala ku-inthanethi ngokuvamile lwaluthiwa imhlophe, incane, iyathandeka ngokwesiko futhi inothile ngokuzimela).

Kodwa kulokhu, ukufinyelela okukhulu kweTikTok (cishe abasebenzisi abayizigidi eziyi-1 emazweni angu-150) kusiza ukusabalala kwalesi simo ngesivinini esingakaze sibonwe. “Ngicabanga ukuthi okunye kwalokhu kumane nje kuyintsha ekwazi ukufinyelela i-inthanethi kakhulu,” kusho umlobi wezobuhle we-InStyle uTamim Alnuweiri. “Ngesikhathi ngisemusha, ngangibeka ikhanda lami efasiteleni futhi ngenza sengathi ngisevidiyo yomculo lapho lina, kodwa inguqulo yabo yalokhu isobala kakhulu.”

UKelly Cutrone, inganekwane ye-PR eyasungula inkampani i-People's Revolution futhi yavela ku-The Hills, The City and America's Next Top Model, wake wabhala incwadi yezeluleko zomsebenzi ebizwa ngokuthi i-If You Have to Cry, Go Outside. “Yafundisa abantu ukuthi bangabhekana kanjani nemizwa yabo emsebenzini,” kusho yena. “Kuyadabukisa ukuthi ukudabuka kungaba yinto evamile. Kodwa nginomntwana oneminyaka engu-20 ubudala, futhi bonke labo bantwana badlula esihogweni [ngesikhathi sobhubhane].”

UCutrone wasungula igama lakhe ukuchaza izingane azibona emakilabhini muva nje: “uthando lwasebusuku”. Cabanga “ngemizwa yezingelosi ezimnyama ze-zombie: izingane ezinqunu kancane ezibukeka zikhanga, ngalezi zibukelo ezingavamile nezibukekayo”.

“Bayizidalwa zasebusuku,” kusho uCutrone, ehleka usulu uJulia Fox, isithandwa semfashini esinamehlo ensikazi esivame ukubonakala sizulazula emigwaqweni yaseNew York sigqoke amabhulukwe ebhulukwe aphansi, ama-bodysuit kaBalenciaga, kanye nezingubo zokugqoka ezimnyama ezinde. “Uneqembu lamantombazane afika emicimbini yami ngezinye izikhathi futhi amantombazane angempela,” kusho uCutrone. “Amantombazane angempela awase Twiggy: asengu-Elvira.”