Pakistan’s TikTok Problem

TikTok has changed social media in Pakistan. A social media app that has landed from perhaps one of the most authoritarian countries in the world has democratized social clout like never before. However, every technology that has the potential to be of social significance becomes a problem in Pakistan for all the wrong reasons.

While some countries like India have targeted TikTok for political reasons, and wrongly so, because of the mobile app’s origins in China, Pakistan took down the app from its best friends for a rather ridiculous reason. In response to probably a Jamatiya citizen or lawyer-activist, the conservative courts in Pakistan have decided that TikTok is corrupting the morals of the Pakistani youth and must be stopped.

Probably a detailed journalistic work like a documentary or a long-form feature is needed to truly describe how TikTok has given expression to Pakistan’s lower middle class. TikTok has given a shot at fame and success to the otherwise underprivileged, not-so-well-educated, and the not-so-well-off parts of the society. And their expression horrifies the faux sophistication of the uncultured urban middle class in Pakistan, particularly the social conservative nationalists. Their sense of religion and society is everything that is wrong with Pakistan.

It is important to realize that TikTok has also offered an economic extension to content creators who have risen to fame through this unlikely medium. From endorsement deals to TV show invites, TikTok stars from otherwise humble backgrounds have earned a name for themselves through sheer raw talent. Not even facebook has seen the kind of democratization in Pakistan, particularly in the rural communities, which make up most of the Pakistani population.

The hate for women, lower-income groups, and the lower middle class manifests in conservative Pakistan in strange ways and the TikTok ban is yet another form. Anything that may entertain the common Pakistani, or make them happy, or enable them to express themselves is surely not acceptable to the orthodox and conservative elite of the country. Especially when sometimes it is becoming inconvenient in terms of political dissent.

Sooner or later, TikTok will be back on the mobile phones of the young and the unprivileged in Pakistan. However, it will

It is funny that nobody bothered to ban TikTok when a hateful trend went viral demanding the hanging of blasphemy-accused Asia Bibi, inspired by a TLP political anthem. Well, it still would have been wrong to ban the medium, but at least authorities could have taken some corrective action against the bigots, no matter how cute or seemingly innocuous they may seem. Nobody in the honorable high judiciary of the country even lifted a finger. But why would they?

Pakistan’s TikTok problem is much deeper than what meets the eye. It is the same rot that has institutionalized fundamentalism, misogyny, abuse, and class exploitation. From misogynistic and territorial tribalism to theocratic bigotry, class warfare and self-hate reign supreme in urban Pakistan.

Expect more TikTok bans in the future.