We get asked a lot: \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you on TikTok?\u201d or \u201cWhy don\u2019t you post more content for social media?\u201d It\u2019s a fair question in a time when visibility is currency. The simple answer is what we\u2019re building can\u2019t be compressed into 30 seconds of vertical video. And more importantly, we refuse to shape our work around an algorithm designed to reward “me first” spectacle over substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of us just aren’t interested in turning community art into that kind of content, for those kinds of platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s the problem: TikTok\u2014and platforms like it\u2014are built to maximize attention, not connection. They reward virality, trends, and polished personas. But the kind of community work we do is quiet, slow, and rooted. It grows through trust, not followers or individualistic hustle. The most meaningful moments can\u2019t be filtered, edited, and posted without losing something vital. And frankly, we don\u2019t want to perform those moments for strangers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t just about us. It\u2019s about the youth we work with, too. A lot of them already feel how extractive and performative these platforms are. They\u2019re not trying to go viral. They\u2019re not chasing likes as a form of status. Many actively avoid posting on TikTok because it feels fake, overwhelming, or like it turns real life and lived experiences into something cheap and consumable. They\u2019re tired of being reduced to content and it’s a game they have no desire to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not a week goes by where some project asks the artists\u2014especially the youth we work with\u2014to make TikToks. And each time, they decline. They have no interest in what they see as performative or extractive. Their refusal isn\u2019t about being difficult\u2014it\u2019s a boundary. A clear line drawn in defense of their integrity, their process, and their right not to be turned into someone else\u2019s deliverable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve seen what happens when young people are pressured to become personal brands before they even know who they are. It\u2019s unhealthy. It creates a cycle of comparison and performance, where value is measured in engagement metrics instead of authentic relationships, creativity, or contribution. We\u2019re not here to push them into that cycle\u2014we\u2019re here to interrupt it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And here\u2019s the irony: even without TikTok and all those other platforms, their work reaches people. The youth we support aren\u2019t chasing clout\u2014but their stories, art, and ideas resonate. Their videos and projects have quietly pulled in millions of impressions, views and six-figure audiences online to their own platforms. Not because they gamed an algorithm, but because they showed up with honesty. Because they were speaking to something real. Because community doesn\u2019t need to be viral to be visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So no, we don\u2019t make TikToks. Not because we\u2019re out of touch, but because we\u2019re paying attention. Because we care about the difference between performance and participation. Because we\u2019re trying to build something that can\u2019t be reduced to cheap, performative content: trust, belonging, shared purpose are where it’s at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe in slowness. In depth and authenticity. In community that doesn\u2019t need to be broadcast to be real. We\u2019ll keep creating for each other\u2014not for the algorithm. And that\u2019s more than enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We get asked a lot: \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you on TikTok?\u201d or \u201cWhy don\u2019t you post more content for social media?\u201d It\u2019s a fair question in a time when visibility is currency. The simple answer is what we\u2019re building can\u2019t be compressed into 30 seconds of vertical video. And more importantly, we refuse to shape our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":43613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[216,22],"class_list":["post-43612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","tag-2024-5782","tag-winnipeg","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\n