TikTok has become the breakout media platform during this year's Olympic Games, boosted by its heavy use by young athletes.
Why it matters: Unlike the social media apps that came before it, TikTok's algorithm is built so that almost any person can go viral overnight. No other medium has ever given athletes, particularly ones that weren't famous before, that same level of instant exposure.
Simone Biles was a singular presence on social media during the Olympics, with her Instagram account generating more interactions than the next six Americans combined, according to data from CrowdTangle.
Why it matters: Already a premier name on the U.S. Olympic roster, Biles' struggles in Tokyo shifted the focus from athletics to human interest as she dealt with her mental and emotional health.
Technology may not have made up for the impact of COVID-19, but its presence was felt at the Tokyo Games, from advances in timing to giant displays that brought the sailing action from sea to shore.
Even the venerable Olympic pin got a digital upgrade, with sponsor Alibaba distributing an electronic button, complete with a small display and pedometer built in.
COVID-19 vaccines are about as effective as a single technological solution to a major threat can be — and our struggles to adopt and distribute the shots demonstrate their limits.
Why it matters: The pandemic is just one of many global challenges we'll face in the years ahead, but technofixes alone can't save us without a supportive social and political structure.
