When history is shared on TikTok

Crim was talking during a class.

One of the pioneers is educator Kahlil Greene, also known on TikTok as Gen Z Historian. In 2021, while a senior at Yale University, Greene posted several videos on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, highlighting quotes from the civil rights leader that reflected his radical views on race and class. Seeing the enthusiastic reception, Greene launched a series of videos called “hidden history.” Since then, Greene has amassed over 600,000 TikTok followers, while his “hidden history” videos, as well as other educational content on current events and popular culture, regularly garner tens of thousands of views each.

The way history is taught in public schools across U.S. states varies considerably. While most curricula address foundational periods in the nation's history such as slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement, their approach to these topics is often influenced by partisan politics and community demographics. As an analysis by the New York Times shows, for example, textbooks in California tend to emphasize the experiences of marginalized groups, while textbooks in Texas often tend to do the opposite.

Ernest Crim, a former high school history teacher, is now building educational content for TikTok and other digital platforms. Crim says he grew up in a segregated neighborhood on Chicago's South Side and was placed in a predominantly white neighborhood for much of his schooling. As a child, he noticed the differences between the two neighborhoods, but it wasn't until he took a Black history course in college that he began to understand the roots of his experience: systemic issues. The course inspired Crim to become an educator, and for many years, he taught history at an American high school and took elective courses in African and Latin American history. However, Crim decided to leave his history teaching job, stating, "I felt like the curriculum wasn't really enough to teach students about systemic issues."

When TikTok became popular in the US a few years later, Crim began posting excerpts from his teaching materials on the platform and gained more attention. Crim also kept his content relevant by adding historical context around current news and events, and his videos turned him into a celebrity. Crim is now a public speaker and consultant.

While a wealth of information can be found on TikTok, the platform also comes with challenges. Educational content from historians and scholars coexists with videos from creators without credentials. This can make it difficult for the average user to distinguish between credible and unreliable content. Some educators share citations and sources in the background of their videos or provide viewers with more context in the comments section.

As many scholars and educators have noted, TikTok isn't a magic bullet for reading books or watching documentaries. But it can be a useful starting point for learning more. For anyone wanting to learn from TikTok, broaden your knowledge and engage more to fully understand the subject matter. Don't just be a passive viewer.

HONG HANH

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