TikTok is a popular app that allows users to post a video up to 60 seconds long of them singing, dancing, acting, cooking, etc. Millions of people, of all ages, use the app to express themselves and share information or art with others.
TikTok uses an algorithm to create a “for you page” full of users and videos that are tailored to your interests and likes. On my “for you page,” I see videos about cats, rescue animals, Hamilton, and engineers. However, something I do not see is a lot of disabled people. It took months of being on the app before I saw someone in a wheelchair on the app. She is a dancer and I was shocked; not because she was in a wheelchair and dancing, but because I never expected to see someone dancing in a wheelchair. In all of the months I have been on TikTok, I have seen dozens of people dance to viral songs. All involve hand movements and minimal feet movement, so why was I surprised to see someone in a wheelchair doing the same thing? A lot of the dances do have to be modified for the dancer’s specific ability, but they are still very similar to the original dances. These creators need to be promoted in order to show that anyone can dance and enjoy participating in TikTok trends.
TikTok has recently created a $200+ million “creator fund” that is split between popular creators that have applied and been accepted to the fund. If we are not amplifying diverse groups of people on this app, then only abled people will be able to make money from the app. That is ableist and takes away opportunities that could help others achieve goals that they have. (I do not know what the actual demographics of those benefiting from the creator fund are.)
An account I found that I really like is @chelsiehill_. She is in a wheelchair due to a spinal injury caused by a car accident. What I like most about her account is that she makes dance videos with her friends that are also in wheelchairs. This visibility helps break the stigma against people with physical disabilities, showing us that they are just like any other physically able person wanting to show off some fun dances. She also posts honest content about her situation which can be eye opening to abled people and create a support system for others with disabilities.
Have you seen people with disabilities on your “for you page?” How can social media be better about amplifying these creators?
Unruly Bodies 
Tikok is a great social media that is trending today, that also helps many people learn different things that are going on in the world around them. For example a few days ago I remember seeing a video on tiktok that showed different tricks, that can help someone who is having a panic attack. They showed that if your having a panic attack, simply bite into a lemon and that will make your mind think about more of the sour taste in your mouth instead of what is making you feel anxious. Then he explained that this is a way of making our brain think about other things. With the talk about Tikok getting ban, it makes me sad because then I wouldn’t be able to learn different ways to cook things, or how to use your iphone camera in different ways to take better photos, also things like seeing actual videos of what’s going on with california and their fires right now. A few days ago I also saw a lady who was in a wheelchair doing the renegade dance and its very inspiring to see people simply having a fun time doing different dances and trends with their significant other or with friends. In all honestly it’s kind of rare to see someone who is disable on our for you page, so when I saw the lady simply enjoying the moment on my for you page, I quickly liked and followed.
Is TikTok ableist? Maybe. Is our society in general geared toward abled people? Definitely. TikToks for you page is something that is also a reflection of your interests. While TikTok may “shadow ban” some disabled creators (stop showing their content on the for you page), the sad fact is that those who are able bodied, are usually blind to other communities and that can be a factor in the less frequency of differently abled creators. Something that is huge to remember is the creators on the platform themselves. Recently on TikTok there has been a large movement towards closed captioning videos. Creators will type out what they are saying on the screen to make TikTok more accessible to those who are hearing impaired. The community has made a movement toward making the app itself more accessible, and while maybe the algorithm is flawed, the people on the app are aware of ableism and working towards creating more inclusive videos.
Good points here, and I want to draw something out of rose1324’s comment. The algorithm is built by people, so it contains all the biases of the people who built it, and what we each see on TikTok is not just a reflection of what we personally might want to see, though what we seek out should change what we are offered over time. A great resource to learn about this is Safiya Noble’s book Algorithms of Oppression.