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TikTok continues to take it up a notch! The social media giant allowed users to capture 60-second video clips as of July 2021. Now, in 2022, it has announced users can expect to capture videos totaling 10 minutes, Variety reports. On average, TikTok users reportedly spend 52 minutes per day on the application, and 90 percent of TikTokers return to the application daily. Arguably one of the most addictive applications, the new feature will add to its list of reasons to keep users reeled in for more. “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok rep said in a statement, according to Variety. “Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok. Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.”
A new streaming platform for the arts is here! Broadstream, a new arts and arts adjacent streaming platform, features professional content that is both created by and stars diverse voices including those who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. The content focuses on millennials and Gen-Z’ers. After its first artistic work premiered earlier this year, Broadstream realized that the need to serve the diverse artistic community was not only important, but it was necessary. As a first-of-its-kind streaming platform, it is free for its users to remove any financial barrier to entry, a much different concept than any of its competitors’ platforms. “Broadstream proudly empowers and features artists who have too often been historically marginalized, dedicating their platform to amplifying their voices and highlighting art that meets the moment in pursuit of artistic justice,” said the company in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “The platform’s innovative financial model not only...
Google is honoring the 71st birthday of Professor Duncan Okoth Okombo in their latest Doodle illustrated by Kenyan artist Joe Impressions. Okombo’s contributions throughout his lifetime, spanning 66 years, have pinned him as the founder of African sign language studies. Professor Okombo’s work was inspired at an early age due to his experience being raised during British colonial rule. Born on a remote Kenyan island in Kaswanga, Okombo witnessed the English language taking precedence over his ethnic identity sweeping his native tongue to near extinction. The violent awakening further propelled the professor to ensure the heart of his indigenous African heritage would never be dimmed. The solution would lie in educating the next generation to ensure the native language would always be preserved. Okombo would pursue a linguistics degree in 1983, publishing Masira ki Ndaki — one of the first novels in a Kenyan language. Advancing his career, he would become a professor of linguistics...
Social media has become the birthplace for content creation in the digital age, and users from all over are taking advantage of apps like TikTok to jumpstart their careers or internet fame. This year we witnessed influencers storm TikTok’s short-form visual platform with viral dances, funny skits, and calls to action. Above all, our increased support for Black TikTokers got them the recognition they’ve earned as trendsetters in pop culture. The uptick in TikTok’s influence in 2020 was the reflection of our reality living through both a global health pandemic and mass protests to condemn systemic racism in our society. The latter proved to be prevalent even on our social platforms that should be meant to provide equal opportunity. Unfortunately, there have been several mishaps this year where Black creators on TikTok have reported that they receive far less credit than other users on the app. Like many other platforms, TikTok has become a power play in bringing in potential revenue....
Nakia Smith — also known as Charmay — is the 22-year-old TikToker teaching Black American Sign Language (BASL) one viral video at a time. Charmay is the fourth deaf generation of five generations, and according to Blavity, she’s using her experience to educate people on not only sign language but the deaf community as well. Her videos have allowed her to accumulate over 300,000 followers and include her siblings, grandparents, and great-great-grandparents, all of whom are deaf as well. Each video has a particular focus on American Sign Language (ASL) and BASL and also educates people on the best way to interact with members of the deaf community. Recently, Smith partnered with Netflix to create a video that explains that the particular ASL dialect, BASL, was actually created because of segregated schools. Black American Sign Language? What You Know About That? Meet Nakia Smith a.k.a. Charmay (@realcaunsia). She's the 4th deaf generation of five generations, and she is here to...