There is a new class war on the internet. It is all about content, creativity and clicks. But in this battle between TikTok and YouTube, it all boils down to one question–who owns the bottom of the pyramid?
I wasn’t aware of the YouTube vs TikTok battle until I noticed that hashtag #CarryMinati was trending on Twitter. For the uninitiated, CarryMinati is a millennial comic-roast with more than 16 million subscribers on YouTube.
End Game’s on
As I dug deeper, I came across a video of him titled TikTok vs YouTube-The End Game on YouTube. The likes and views on the video were increasing exponentially so I decided to watch it (which I immediately regretted). The video, which had over 78 million views, has now been taken down but it gave me a glimpse of the ongoing rivalry between the content creators of two of the most popular online platforms.
The people who inhabit the two universes are very different. The inhabitants of Google-owned YouTube and China’s ByteDance-owned TikTok aren’t just waging a war for increasing follower count. The battle is also to decide the type of people who have the right to rule the video world.
It all began when YouTuber Elvish Yadav posted a roast of TikTokers on his YouTube channel, comparing young video-makers to rag pickers, questioning their intelligence and making fun of girls wearing make-up. In response, two TikTokers named Amir Siddiqui and Revolver Rani called out his derogatory and classist comments TikTok and Instagram.
Revolver Rani’s response triggered a carpet video bombing that saw supporters from both the communities trying to outdo each other. The online battle reached its pinnacle when CarryMinati decided to make another roast of TikTokers.
“Mithai ki dukaan pe 200 mein bik jaaoge” (you’ll be sold at a sweet shops for Rs 200); “Shakalaka Boom Boom ki pencil ki tarah dikhte ho” (you look like a Shakalaka Boom Boom pencil): this is how CarryMinati described TikTokers. TikTokers too accused YouTubers of stealing their content.
Also read: I accidentally went viral on TikTok. I learned we failed our youngest generation
For virtual dominance
YouTubers who roast TikTok content creators often call its videos cringeworthy. They mock their appearances and use homophobic slurs for TikTokers who often cross-dress. CarryMinati in his recent video used words like ‘Meetha’ and ‘Pari’, which are often used to refer to the people from transgender community. That’s not all. Some also refer TikTokers as ‘Shudras of the internet’ with the popular perception being that they are mostly lower-class, low-caste individuals in low profile jobs who make videos for ‘time-pass’.
This only reflects the insecurities of YouTubers who are now perturbed by the sharp rise in popularity and fame of TikTok content and its creators from small towns and rural areas.
The Chinese video-making app is immensely popular, especially among the teenagers, and has provided a platform to many for expressing their creativity. From a rural housemanager to a brick-maker to a street vendor, anyone can become viral and famous overnight. These influencers from small towns and villages, with their newfound voice on TikTok, are finally in the category of content creators and telling their stories.
In fact, the TikTok vs YouTube war is looking like a microcosm of the larger political story raging across India–between raw aspiration and entrenched entitlement.
Also read: TikTok to PUBG, Indian users in Chinese grip: free apps come with data privacy concerns
Being homophobic is not funny
CarryMinati, in his attempt to come out as politically correct and may be ensure that his content is not red-flagged by YouTube as inappropriate often mentions in his videos that its ‘all for laughs’. But with millions of followers, one is ought to be responsible.
His latest video was filled with abuses and comments mocking the TikTok community. And for this, he got applaud and support from star YouTubers like Ashish Chanchlani and Bhuvan Bam.
In the name of humor or roast, one cannot joke about people’s appearances and their social status. The urban elites had already taken over Instagram and YouTube. TikTok gave a new platform to those who did not care if their grammar was correct. No need for monologues, eye-catching shoot locations or cameo appearances of celebrities. One doesn’t even need fancy cameras or editing software to showcase their talent.
Also read: India’s TikTok craze is creating celebrities but also ruining lives
TikTok breaking the monopoly
TikTok gives the freedom to express creativity to people from all the sections of the society, irrespective of gender, class, caste or sexuality. Despite moderation by TikTok and attempts to ban pro-LGBTQ content, the app has become a platform for the people of the community to engage among themselves and express. It is time to acknowledge that no one can have a monopoly over content creation and freedom of expression.
YouTube taking down his content hasn’t deterred CarryMinati a bit. In fact he is reading it as a success. In his Instagram post the YouTuber said how the video was going to break all global records (apparently it was the first non-musical video to get over 70 million views in a limited time). So he must be disappointed.
You can choose to be on either side. Or as Internet’s favorite Nazma Aapi (Saloni Gaur) says, “Hum to creativity ki side hain” (we favour creativity). Or you can choose to be not bothered by a bunch of 20 year-olds busy fighting with each other, virtually over ‘content-creation’ while the world is burning.
Vieews are personal.
Stop defending tiktok. Everybody who has a working brain knows it’s literal cancer. You can name a thousand things that are good about tiktok, but there’ll always be a million shitty things about it. It’s trash, plain and simple. I pity people like you who have so much faith on a retarded application.
That is wrong. I don’t think carryminati or any other youtuber has said anything wrong. 99% content of tik tok is cringe. So what is wrong in saying that?
I agree with author , you have no right to roast anyone publicly , you don’t know the condition of that person who you are roasting , its not always good to write i am roasting for fun , the plateformer who is being roasted is just doing things for enjoyness and to get out for some time from their boring life who knows? But that roasting does give mentally that this platformer are doing maddness.
What the hell I just read, the writer might be a close relative of amir siddiqui. carryminati was right in every sense, that bakwas timepass app was wasting the time and energy of Indian youth. Tiktok was 90% Cringe content which is of no use to anyone….
And people are very happy after It’s ban…
Tiktok was a digital corona virus and being a responsible media you should not encourage it use, moreover its a Chinese app
Tik what? That spy app?
probably this comrade is also tik tok ki beti
First of all carry never made fun of transgender community, this is an extremely biased article. Maybe the writer is a tik toker himself because he forgot to mention amir siddiqui’s leaked phone call and amir’s brother promoting acid attacks on tik tok. Tik tokers with millions of subscribers promoting rape,violence,acid attacks,anti nationalism etc. Unlike what people say carry or elvish didnt attack the whole tik tok community ,they were against some tik tokers promoting cringe content. Really disappointed to see that an article is posted without any proper information about the whole situation.
I resd everyrhing you said and went onto check and i found it incorrect.why did you post this article without proper research.i support youtube and downvote tiktok. First its extremely hateful towards some section of society and there is no proper mods on that app to analyse what is being posted.
Secondly,although it occurred late last few months back .i denounced using any chinese products since february. because of them most people have to sit at hime without job and i curse that country for what it has done to world. World should really isolate themselves from.chinese.
In the way a gamer says “YOU ARE A NOOB!!!!”
Writing an article without researching well. You should just leave this game (I mean the publishing house). Bias, toxic, idiot writer.
Completely biased article
Shame on you
I am gonna file a case against your online propoganda
Beware your time is over
Maybe the writer is himself/herself a tiktoker…. Maybe that’s why he/she has wrote such a biased article… Creativity ?? Tiktok ?? Oh please
Tiktok band nhi hona chaye yrrrrr
i think you too belong to worst community of tik-tokers. Don’t you know what the asleel things tiktok is promoting. Fool ! I request everyone to never believe nor read content of this writer. Fool !
The article only presents a biased view of the whole YouTube vs TikTok controversy. Author is talking about homophobia but fails to acknowledge the toxic culture that is prevalent on TikTok. TikTok as an platform has become an unregulated space where animal abuse, violence against women, religion bashing are widespread. You can easily find very offensive videos from the same TikTok influencers who claim to be torchbearers of LGBTQ rights.
TikTok influencers often claim that Youtubers steal their content and roast them, only if the author had researched better on the topic, she could easily have found out that the same influencers often steal content from Youtubers.
This Article talks about classism, it is true some Youtubers have done that but that small no. does not represent the whole Indian Youtube community. But, to claim that TikTok is problem-free is too much. Some TikTokers do make original content but that no. is very small.
I just want to say that real problem with TikTok is content moderation. Anyone can post anything without bothering about the message that video can convey. Withour strong content moderation like the YouTube, TikTok is bound to come under scanner.
Every platform has problems, we should talk about them. Youtube is certainly not free from any problems, but TikTok is certainly not problem free.
About the author, I want to say don’t write such biased articles withour researching first. If you talk about problems with Indian Youtube community, talk about problems with Indian TikTok community also. Don’t just try to create sensational headline, try to do actual reporting.
I was unaware of this social media war and I do not use Tiktok nor do I have a YouTube channel. HOWEVER, this is a poorly written article that is filled with bias. It was amusing to read. It gives the notion that the author is a Tiktok supporter and makes for a poor review. I would have preferred to read an unbiased news report, not someone’s personal blog. I am honestly disappointed in The Print, since I had a better impression of this publishing house.
Seriously yr it’s a very poor article….
Writer of the article seems very biased and also writers doesn’t hv the knowledge of the meaning of ROASTING
Bhai tune bhi content ke nam pr hag diya…..
I think this post is sponsored by Tik Tok.
This is what china is doing, buying the media. You can see how they bought hollywood in youtube
Wow some shame, how can people be so blatantly fake. Like seriously how can a journalist be so biased and not prepared. Like people do anything for sensationalism and push their agenda. Don’t call yourself media call anything else other than media. No research nothing, tit tok is 100 times better than this media outlet.
ओ चचा, इतनी अंग्रेजी तो समझ आ गई की तुम भी NDTV वाले रास्ते पर चल रहे हो। हौवा बना रहे हो। carriminati को आज का युवा इसी वजह से पसंद करता है कि वो सही जगह पर सही तरीके से लोगो को आईना दिखाता है, यहां तक कि वो Big Boss को भी लपेटे में लेता है। अधिकतर Tik-tokers की हरकतें ही वहीं हैं जिनकी वजह से उनको आजकल एक अलग category में रखा जा रहा है। और जो आप सोच रहे हो कि youtubers के अंदर insecurity उनको ऐसा करने पर मजबूर कर रही है वो गलत है, इनकी हरकतों की वजह से इनको लपेटे में लिया जाता है। यहां हर कोई अपने को एक्टर बताता फिर रहा है।
I Think that the writer of this article is himself or herself a self righteous little punk who does not do his homework properly. Tiktok stars use homophobic slurs and abusive language in their videos too. The slur ‘beti’ started to get popular due to tik tok. Also, who doesn’t abuse in India. The tiktokers steal other peoples content without giving due credit and title themselves as being original. They pass on socially useful messages when in the presence of media but support vaping and crimes when on video. This is hypocrisy at its best abd you are a pretentious little bastard. Remember that. At least youtubers don’t hide themselves behind a curtain of righteousness unlike you or the tiktokers. Do your research first idiot.
it did not begin with a roast video. It all began with an IGTV video.. get ur facts straight..!