Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
If your knowledge of social media
starts and ends with Facebook, like mine,
well, we are all in for an education
from tonight's film, TikTok Boom.
TikTok has turned the lives of millions of Gen-Zers
into a daily reality show.
And with over 2 billion downloads,
it's become a phenomenon
that's larger than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
But this king of the mountain in the tech universe
is not without controversy.
TikTok was founded in China,
putting it in direct competition with Silicon Valley.
TikTok Boom follows a handful of influencers
and explores the controversy
over the tech giant's tendency
to censor and control its content.
The company has been accused of shadow banning certain posts
based on subject matter.
At one point, it was learned that
any post involving Black Lives Matter or George Floyd
were being suppressed.
When confronted about the ban,
the company chalked it up to a technical glitch.
The film also explores the power of social media
by focusing on a prank pulled by one user
who reserved a ticket to a Trump Rally in Oklahoma,
then failed to show up.
The user's actions inspired others to do the same,
resulting in huge sections of empty seats,
which led to a campaign to ban TikTok in America.
TikTok Boom is directed by Shalini Kantayya.
Kantayya delved into the world of tech in her previous effort,
Coded Bias, which was also featured on Independent Lens,
and won the Sundance U.S. Documentary Grand Jury prize
in 2020.
When asked what drew her to telling this particular story,
Kantayya says she is a Sci-fi fanatic
and loves technology and doing research,
adding that she was fascinated by how an app
best known for teenagers dancing
became the center of a geo-political controversy.
I'm no influencer, but I am going to tell you
to sit back and enjoy this uncensored documentary.
That felt good.
TikTok Boom starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.