The TikTok star making serious points about poverty – and ice cubes

Shabaz Ali, a chemistry teacher and social media star, poses for a photograph in Manchester, northern England. His videos on TikTok and Instagram have propelled the 30-year-old, from Blackburn in northwest England, to Internet celebrity and the cusp of the mainstream – yet he is the first to admit he is hardly a natural fit. — AFP

PARIS: Lying on his bed with a camera close to his face, Shabaz Ali raises his eyebrows, widens his eyes and drily ridicules the excessive lifestyles of Internet influencers.

His videos on TikTok and Instagram have propelled the 30-year-old from Blackburn, northwest England, to Internet celebrity and the cusp of mainstream fame – yet he is the first to admit he is hardly a natural fit.