Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/09/27/tiktok-gen-z-tattoo-trend-looks-like-nazi-symbol/3529629001/, Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Jordan Williams, 18, recently posted a video on TikTok encouraging fellow Gen Zers to get matching tattoos as a sign of rebellion. TikTok user Jordan Joann Williams has gone viral for a video she posted encouraging her generation to get a “Z” tattoo as a symbol of unity and rebellion. The app is now used by a reported 100 million Americans – most of which are among the Generation Z population age 24 and younger. Sign up here. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights USA TODAY reached out to TikTok for comment. "It was an honest mistake. Sitemap This segment of society is growing up in an era of holding people accountable for the ideas they spread, which is sometimes grouped into cancel culture. ", Save better, spend better: Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. The hate messages didn't stop, so she made her profile private and deleted the Gen Z tattoo-related content. “What if, now hear me out … we all got a matching tattoo, not only a symbol of unity in our generation but also as a sign of rebellion,” the young woman said in the video, according to the paper. People attacked that video, too, saying it wasn't enough. 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We've received your submission. Several people have since uploaded video PSAs instructing others not to get the tattoo. One of her previous videos was a rant about her job. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The symbol, one person said,looked similar a Nazi swastika. There's also the troubling George Floyd Challenge, which saw teens kneeling on a friend's neck reenacting how Floyd died in police custody, a moment that sparked days of protests across the country. A popular tattoo among Gen Z Tiktok users has come under fire for looking like the "Wolfsangel' Nazi symbol. Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about. "This is the sort of a medium that we live in these days, where images and messages can be misinterpreted, and they're so supercharged with the polarization, that it almost becomes guilty until proven innocent," said Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at the University of Carnegie Mellon. Thousands of TikTok teens inked themselves with a design they thought proclaimed their generation, only to be told the design originated with the Nazis. There are algorithms that categorically take some content down, and reporting individual videos helps, but the most effective change starts with parents talking to their kids, experts say. perhaps tik tok has convinced me to get the gen z tattoo especially since i turn 18 TOMORROW yeeeeeee pic.twitter.com/WaFPxiiRdK. Williams made a third video a few hours later, apologizing for the mix-up. Meanwhile, her follower count shot up to 23,000. Privacy Notice Williams, alarmed at the number of app notifications she was receiving at work, issued a swift video trying to explain herself. Still, it's not the first time a trend on TikTok has been in the crossfire for racial insensitivity or outright hatred. (Photo: Jordan Williams), "I want everyone to know that I am really genuinely sorry," Williams said. Sign up here, Latest TikTok craze can cause 'serious problems,' the FDA warns, What Oracle deal with ByteDance would mean for you if Trump administration approves it, prejudice against people with darker skin tones, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And like all young people, Gen Zers have their own slang that mostly baffles older generations. Williams captioned a video of herself staring into the camera wearing a black hoodie. She received death threats and even a threatening phone call from people she didn't know. TikTok's reputation as a source for teens to post innocent dance videos is swiftly eroding away as the app takes on what could be a more permanent place in American culture, experts say. Your Ad Choices She thought the image seemed simple enough and universal enough to be a good fit, so she issued a call to action to her 2,000 followers. Roughly speaking, Gen Z encompasses anyone born since the late '90s. This story has been shared 90,785 times. Engaging users like Williams, TikTok has surged in popularity in recent years after its parent company Bytedance took over the tween sensation Musical.ly in 2018 and branded it under a new name.