Recently, a feud erupted between the worlds of TikTok and YouTube, and it went straight to the top of the numbers. It started with a TikTok influencer called Amir Siddiqui putting out a video finding fault with YouTube, claiming the people on there steal content, among other offenses. He tagged the Indian YouTuber Carryminati in this video, as well as others.
In response, Carryminati posted a video roasting Amir, which went viral and became India’s most watched video. However, the video was later taken down by YouTube for violating its terms of service.
Since the video was mostly an attack on Amir specifically, YouTube flagged it as harassment. This really set of the fans, who started the #JusticeForCarry trend blasting the decision to take the video down.
The hate started flowing, with many fans using extremely problematic language to lambast TikTok and Amir.
How to count chakka's 😂
— (Baby)ωєαρσи💛 (@it_s_kunal) May 8, 2020
Count number of dislikes on carry minati video(tiktok vs youtube)
😂😂
Amir then put out another video apologising for his earlier statements, and issuing a clarification.
He claimed that his real intention was to highlight a female TikToker who had been receiving rape threats from YouTube fans.
This is when things got murky, and the feud took a dark turn. It became about the nasty side of social media as a whole.
It went from being a trivial fight with popcorn value to one where serious accusations have started flying around in regards to rape threats and homophobia.
All kinds of abuse has been seen from both ends, and it feels like the barkings of rabid dogs who have lost sight of what they’re even standing for.
I think now it’s the time to ban #TikTok from India and Bangladesh. Chakke ko chakka na bole to kya bole?
— TANVIR IKBAL (@tanvir_ikbal) May 15, 2020
There’s a difference between humorous shenanigans and the kind of abuse that fans hurl at anyone who disagrees with their idols.
The passionate influencers of social media have given rise to a rabid fanbase who exhibit some pretty abhorrent behaviour while attacking one other. There’s a culture of discriminatory abuse and vile language being thrown around.
Things that influencers on these apps say casually, turn into gospel for the fans, which then spreads like wildfire. So when there’s even a hint of a feud, the situation becomes ugly quick.
Fans of these people appear to be taking things a little too seriously. It’s fine if you don’t like or agree with something or someone online, but the kind of abuse and threats being made by them is despicable.
Admiring and being a fan of someone doesn’t have to be unconditional – you can consider their words and make your own decisions, and they never have to involve abusing someone on the other side.
It’s also infuriating to see women getting rape threats for voicing their support in favour of one platform. How are the 2 things related? Why does it always devolve into women being threatened with rape?
The sheer divide between the 2 is also confounding. You’re threatening to rape someone because she prefers one platform over the other? Seriously?
At the end of the day, these are just different platforms to let people put out their content. A rabid fan-base going at each others’ throats helps no one.
In fact, this kind of behaviour can be mentally scarring, and can have some pretty adverse psychological implications.
The so called connoisseur of comedy,have filled social media with memes calling Tiktokers as “chakka” and are of the opinion that calling someone “beti” is the funniest thing in the world. Is there any real difference b/w the c-grade content on Youtube and Tiktok?
— siddhant. (@ignoreandfly) May 15, 2020
There have been some rational voices in the midst of the bedlam, who have encouraged people to not resort to the kind of low blows currently being dished out.
I think it’s certainly not about Tiktok Vs Youtube, it is about the kind of content that we are consuming everywhere is somewhat rotten, use of words like ‘Chakka’, ‘meetha’, these are totally unnecessary and should not be used.#AmirAgainstCyberBullying
— Kamakshi Shiv (@Kamaksh18426036) May 15, 2020
In the ongoing Youtube Vs Tiktok, these debaters are normallizing the slangs chakka, meetha or Hijra & in the whole scene it’s the LGBTQ+ who are at edge bcoz of them promoting homophobic, transphobic & body shaming culture.
— Anti_bhakt (@waahmodiji_waah) May 11, 2020
The point is, you can be a fan of one without criticising the other, at least in such an extreme manner. There’s never a reason to slut shame someone, and rape threats are not the way to show your fanboi fervour.
If you don’t like one of the platforms, that’s okay, but it doesn’t need to devolve into the shitshow it has become.
At the end of the day, this is an issue that shouldn’t have even become one – you can like YouTube, you can be a fan of TikTok, you can even support both – or none. So why is there any need to be a dick?
