Shalini Kantayya Returns to Sundance With Doc ‘TikTok, Boom’ About the Social Media Giant

variety.com:

Addie Morfoot ContributorTwo years ago, Shalini Kantayya was at Sundance with “Coded Bias,” a documentary about racial bias in facial recognition software, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

This year the director returns with “TikTok, Boom,” another film about the impact of algorithms on humanity.Since its founding in 2016, TikTok — owned by Chinese conglomerate ByteDance — has become a top entertainment destination for a new generation.

The short-form video platform was the first non-Facebook app to hit 3 billion downloads globally. After becoming available in the U.S.

in 2018, the app has sparked plenty of intrigue and criticism.Via a cast of Gen-Z natives, journalists, and experts, Kantayya’s “TikTok, Boom” examines the future of social media and the increasing tension between democratic youth culture and authoritarian data surveillance.