[The TikTokfication of Everything]

The TikTokfication of Everything

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms there is now, and originally I didn’t have that much issue with it. It started from Vine, then Musical.ly, and then we got TikTok. There’s probably something else that comes before Vine but not any that I know of. This would’ve been fine, it would’ve been totally alright if the short-form videos had stayed in one place. But that’s quite literally impossible since every social media just has  to have its own version of the current trending thing. It’s as if the platforms themselves have FOMO, you know? 

Like how Snapchat was pillaged by literally every other app, TikTok is leaking into other places like Instagram and Youtube. And Twitter. And Tumblr. Of course, the algorithm feeds you your interests – TikTok’s is a successful one. I actually enjoy using TikTok because the algorithm is terrifyingly accurate, which makes it hard to replicate. Youtube’s Shorts don’t even come close to actually showing you the things you’re supposedly interested in. Meanwhile, Instagram’s Reels is toxic as fuck. It’s a cesspool of children trying to be edgy and coming up with the most absurd responses they could think of. 

So just from these two replicas of TikTok we’ve distinguished the issues, but we’re not even touching on how all of them are mellowing out everyone’s brains. I don’t know, maybe Covid really did mellow us all out. But I started using the app just at the end of last year, and every time I feel like I’ve been doomscrolling for too long, my brain is foggier and I can’t seem to be paying attention as well as before. Then I would delete TikTok, just to find myself doomscrolling Reels. Shit! Okay, I’ll get rid of Instagram too. Oh what? Shorts?

It’s frustrating! It takes hours off your time and you don’t even realise that. The only thing you would think of in the trance is that you’d like to scroll further down, looking for the end of an algorithm that is meant to be endless. Feeding you content over and over again, but never long enough to let you process the information you were given – no, you must tread on. Keep scrolling. Keep watching. It doesn’t even stimulate you enough, making you use just your thumb to scroll through the videos (unless you count the story slideshows, I guess). The only thing you’re getting is short-lived dopamine and hours of bluelight. 

In the end, you waste a day away because the algorithm tracked you liking a single depressing video, then proceeds to bombard you with even more depressing videos. Processing grief or sadness or depression is a vital part in understanding a person’s character. It’s a way someone matures and build a perspective towards themselves. Being given depressing videos again and again doesn’t help in actually processing the feelings. Yes, it does make you relieve your sadness and feel like you’re not alone, but there are times where you need to take a breather and be alone. To think and understand the experience you are having without any outside influence. That’s how we grow.

Besides all of this, the short-form videos deteriorate our media literacy as well, having us take everything at face value. Why? Because everything is far too short for us to think about. To dig deeper. You watch a 15 seconds clip of a movie – presumably something you’ve never seen – and you don’t think about the story’s symbolism or metaphor. You don’t think of how the media is criticising a topic, or if it has any allegory. Why? Because you weren’t even given the time. How are we supposed to unravel all of that in 15 seconds? You can’t.

I’m not trying to sound like I’m above everyone for not liking short-form videos, I just believe that there should be moderation when it comes to it. The algorithm instantly picking up on your mood and feeding you content to further emphasise the feeling is not a good thing. The algorithm choosing which video should trend based on someone’s beauty is not a good thing. Artists having to  post Reels and TikToks of their art because there’s barely any platform for them anymore is not good. 

The algorithm was meant to make our searching for things easier, suggesting us with content we might enjoy! Introducing us to people we would like to get to know and stuff. That’s great! What’s not great is being fed this content again and again with zero interval to take a breather.

I think that’s all I’ve got to say for now. If you’ve read this far, thank you! This is just the thoughts that have been bothering me. What do you think about this?

– xo korelle