Students are out of school, businesses are closed, and millions are stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. One app many people are turning to for entertainment is TikTok, so a viral campaign is trying to remind the platform's many young users "there are still plenty of good times to be had."
Truth, the youth smoking prevention campaign, kicked off a TikTok challenge called #WerkItFromHome where users are encouraged to strut their stuff to RuPaul's hit song, Supermodel. Ariana Lee, who has over eight million followers on the platform, told Cheddar Thursday that the campaign is a creative way to tell people to stay at home.
“I took part because I feel like it’s a great way to encourage young people to stay home,” Lee said. “I think it shows how creative people can be.”
The short-form video platform has become widely popular with Generation Z and Lee said it resonates with so many users because of its similarity to Vine, which officially closed in 2017. “I guess it’s like a longer form of Vine and Vine was really popular, so I feel like short-formed videos are really appealing to my generation.”
When it came to creating her TikTok video for the #WerkItFromHome challenge Lee described how her contribution for the challenge came about. “It took a little bit of planning,” she said. “But it kind of happened naturally.”
The TikTok star said that the extra time at home recently has also allowed her to connect with her fans, and with more users on the platform, more ideas are being shared and trends have been created.
“I think there are more ideas because there are more people posting, and TikTok, you go off one another and you make your own video off that so there are more trends,” she said.
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Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
