Thread by @kamilkazani

From a third worlder’s perspective this classist dimension used to be even more pronounced. Until recently you needed to either have lived in this culture to have mastered all the required shibboleths (= upper class) or hire people who did (= also upper class)

And then came… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

God created people, TikTok made them equally familiar with modern American discourse. I know many Americans are concerned about TikTok being a tool of Chinese espionage. But when it comes to softpower, it primarily is a tool of American rather than Chinese cultural influence

TikTok is how American upper class memes diffuse to the Global South. In particular, nothing upper-class-Americanised the discourse of the Russian youth as much as TikTok. In 2020, I returned to Moscow after a long time abroad and was astonished at how deeply it had transformed

TikTok serves as the great equaliser, breaking the class barriers and integrating the Third World masses into the American campus culture

You need to write a personal statement? Just watch TikTok

Preparing for an interview? And TikTok it is

As a low class foreigner you may not be able to fit into the learnt society here and now. You need social polish. And there is no better place to get this polish than on the TikTok. With the TikTok wisdom in your heart, you can absolutely get into the Mandarin class

Just try it