Its apparent that social media has completely changed the way we think about video. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat aren’t just for selfies and funny clips anymore. They’ve become spaces where people are experimenting with editing, storytelling, and visuals in ways that honestly feel pretty cinematic right? With technology advancements and the emergence of the app Capcut, a professional style editing is now in everyone’s back pocket. We’re talking seamless transitions, keyframes, filters, beat syncing, the kind of stuff that used to be reserved for music videos or short films. Now… A 17-year-old in their bedroom can pull off something that looks like it was made in a studio.
But this isn’t just about cool visuals. Media theorist Francesco Casetti has this idea that cinema isn’t just about going to the movies it’s a way of seeing the world. He calls it the “cinematic apparatus” basically, all the tools and structures that shape how we experience moving images. So when you think about it that way, TikTok is kind of like the new cinema, examping some fashion creators that evedienty prove this point through their content.
Nowdays with teens chronically online, the app has created space for kids and teens to create new and interactive ‘cinema’. The app has features that allow you to ‘react’ but through . liking, sharing, remixing. It’s a lived experience through reaction, similar to when you watched the movies when you were younger and you would react to the ghost that suddenly appeared on the screen during the scary horror movie you were watching. The ability to react on the app has created a new cinema feeling but instead you can go back and rewatch the clips whenever you want.
So, while TikTok clips and edits might not have exactly the same vibes as some of our classic films and movies, tiktok content is pushing the boundaries of what storytelling and editing can look like today on the app and that’s definitely worth paying attention to.
33742304- Naomi Nemi
References
Casetti, Francesco (2105), “Assemblage” in: The Lumière Galaxy: Seven Key Words for the Cinema to Come, New York: Columbia University Press, 60-82.
TikTok (2025) TikTok. Available at: https://www.tiktok.com
CapCut (2025) CapCut – Video Editor. Available at: https://www.capcut.com
Jessi (@by.regiina)[TikTok video] (2025). Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@by.regiina/video/7514386834894507286?_r=1&_t=ZN-8yUJS8IRWmk
Wisdom(@wisdm8)[TikTok Video](2025) Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@wisdm8/video/7357101557642562858?_r=1&_t=ZN-8yUkRC9iDtW.
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