Despite Berlin’s claim to counter-culture, the city has not escaped the TikTok invasion. The app has undisputedly taken over our lives these past few months (thanks coronavirus), but in Berlin, it’s much more than tacky dances and never-ending renditions of WAP. Here’s our list of the top five Berlin-based TikTokers you should be following.
photo: Majdi Laktinah.
Censorship in digital spaces is pushing against a zeitgeist of sexual diversity and sex-positivity. It establishes a dangerous moral code, especially among younger users. iHeartBerlin’s latest exhibition #UncensoredBerlin centers on those representations of the human body that are affected by digital censorship and offers the participating artists a unique platform to express themselves freely.
“Your post has been removed as it doesn’t follow our community guidelines.” – For many users of social media platforms, but especially for many artists, this phrase has become a familiar foe. What kind of community restricts your right for self-expression?
photo: Schall & Schnabel
Perfect, care-free, enviable: these used to be the three adjectives that would come up in my mind the moment I would take a look at the shiny profiles of my acquaintances on social media – one cannot really call them friends, right? There would have been plenty occasions in the past, where I would start wondering what my life lacks and is not as “cool” as theirs.
Taking insecurity to a brand new level I would even catch myself feeling sad, if my new post had not received the expected number of likes; choosing my new profile picture would demand a full-fledged strategy, that would put even the most acute Brexit negotiators to shame. However, I would still sense that this is not enough. There would always be someone flaunting various parts of their life they would be most proud of ranging from abs and new pieces of clothing to luxurious holidays – I still refuse to believe the existence of hashtags, such as #moneyisnottheproblem – and partying in the most talked-about clubs.
photo: Eylül Aslan
I don’t believe in airing my dirty laundry in public. I know how unconvincing that sounds coming from someone who writes a dating column that heavily features her private life, (shut up! You know you love it) but after having the issue resurface several times over several months, I do have to give the issue of social media hygiene a personal treatment.
Sometimes I wish Facebook had a “your ex is not going to this event” feature. Or better yet, there should be a feature that lets you confirm events and then the designated persona non grata would be unable to confirm, or even see, the event.
photos: Natalie Mayroth
When you think of theater, what comes to mind? Does the term ‘Digital Age’ pop up somewhere? Probably not, right? But don’t worry: since staged theater is widely perceived as more of a traditional medium, it’s just natural that we do not think of this right away.But the theater is a place to depict current subjects and social discourse. And one ongoing and very current topic is the Internet and Social Media. Obviously. (Hi, this is a blog.) Which is why the theater network cobratheater.cobra and the Theater an der Parkaue created Haus der Digitalen Jugend (House of Digital Youth) and decided to put together PRISMA – The digital Kick-Off Festival that is “kicking off” tonight.