German media reported that @yadvashem harshly criticised a recent trend on #TikTok to upload videos, in which users pose as #Holocaust victims. Such videos would be a trivialization and disrespectful. stern.de/digital/online…
Similarly, nearly all reports and many tweets unanimously condemned the creators of these videos, without even asking about their intentions and motifs. Obviously many of them invested effort and time in producing these short films. insider.com/tiktok-trend-s…
Many of the videos clearly demonstrate curiousity and interest in the topic, attitudes educators would love to see in the classroom when teaching about the Holocaust. Although not in complex ways, the videos clearly illustrate the transfer of Holocaust memories.
Instead of acknowledging the attempt to integrate these memories into new media cultures, the TikTok creators were accused of „straigt up antisemitism“ and called „disgusting human being[s]“ by other #socialmedia users. bbc.com/news/newsbeat-…
In my opinion, this is disrespectful and a trivialization of antisemitism. While facing global tendencies of distorting and denying the Holocaust, we attack teenagers who are searching for ways to make the past relevant for their present. Seriously?
Some of the videos might demonstrate bad taste. Some of them just want to participate in a trend. Most of them tend towards a rather problematic mode of identification, which does not leave much room for reflection and critical distance.
But who are we to condemn this? Personalization is a basic element of Holocaust education today, practiced by nearly all memorials world wide. At ceremonies in schools students are invited to perform testimonies, or to read letters addressed to dead Holocaust victims.
Films and TV shows promise to authentically represent the past, while distributing once again all the well-known stereotypes and iconic images.
Only the @AuschwitzMuseum demanded to „discuss this not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse“, and rightly saw the TikTok trend as „an educational challenge.” israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx…
BUT, again an opportunity was lost. TikTok users deleted their videos and publicly apologized. For what? For showing interest in the Holocaust? The educational outcome of this challenge is that a whole generation learned that they are not ready to contribute to Holocaust memory.
Nobody asked about the context, the very interesting format of POV (point-of-view) films that were designed to address socially important and politically controversial topics (thanx @zemzi). Nobody asked why there are no adequate role models for social media commemoration.
It seems that Holocaust memorials and other commemorative institutions have problems to trust their audience in passing on Holocaust memory. We complain about a lack of interest and curiosity, but we nevertheless constantly contain agency.
The COVID-19 pandemic had an astonishing side effect. Suddenly many Holocaust memorials started to develop new formats for social media commemoration. #digitalmemorial #closedbutopen #CommemoratingFromHome
Many of these digital activities could serve as best practice examples for collaborative co-creation of Holocaust memory through audiovisual online media. But the fierce attacks on the activities of TikTok users might now jeopardize these efforts.
Instead of condemnation, encouragment might serve better to motivate members of the fourth and fifth generation to continue engaging with Holocaust memory. The TikTok challenge may be awkward (though maybe more appropriate than many film and TV productions on the same topic).
BUT it demonstrates something that is very valuable in these times of growing distance to the past events: interest, dedication, creativity, and the effort to integrate the memories from the past in present (social media) lives.
So sad that this should be the outcome of engaging with Holocaust memory on social media 😢 (thanx @zemzi). 
