Are You Too Old For This?

Are You Too Old For TikTok?

You’re definitely too old to film yourself doing a dumb-ass dance — but not for enjoying what those dances mean

David Dennis, Jr.
LEVEL
Published in
5 min readFeb 19, 2020

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Illustration: Moya Garrison-Msingwana

Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.

I’m 33 years old. It’s a weird age, teetering between being in touch and stuck in my ways. And I know I’m not the only one standing at the intersection of Young Buck and Old Head. Every time something comes along, whether it’s slang or pop culture or a new tech platform, you confront the same question: Am I too old for this? That’s why I’m here — to work through these conundrums on your behalf, on a weekly basis. Together, hopefully, we can face some harsh truths about our own washed-ness.

YYou really want to learn someone’s personality? Take a look at their social media portfolio. It’s crucial whether you’re scouting prospective employees, friends, or people you’ll later regret having sex with. If they’re only on LinkedIn and Facebook, chances are they use words like “disruption” and listen to some problematic podcasts. If they IG and tweet all day, they might just be a millennial with a lot on their mind and zero sense of boundaries. They don’t have any social media accounts at all…

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David Dennis, Jr.
LEVEL

Level Sr. Writer covering Race, Culture, Politics, TV, Music. Previously: The Undefeated, The Atlantic, Washington Post. Forthcoming book: The Movement Made Us