The Origin
Tik Tok was created in 2016, under a different title - Musical.ly - but saw its rise to supreme social media app just a couple years ago, amassing over 682 million new users in 2019. People all over the world began sharing self-help videos, viral dances, and even creative recipes on the now infamous app - and some of Tik Tok’s highest paid users now make over $15,000 per video. But what exactly makes Tik Tok different from other popular social media apps?
The Algorithm
It seems that a lot of Tik Tok’s success has to do with its clever, almost mesmerizing interface and the accessibility it allows users. It has created a new wave of creativity on the Internet, but like all things indulgent, the app does not come without its own set of unique repercussions.
The format of Tik Tok is oriented towards maximizing screen time. Videos can be up to sixty seconds long - which is longer than the videos allowed on its similarly designed predecessor, Vine. These longer recordings allow users to be able to film skits or intricate dances, but the threshold of sixty seconds assures that individuals will not be spending too long watching one single clip. The fast-paced algorithm of this app almost acts as a reinforcement feedback loop, and the most rewarding part of this process is that minimal work needs to be done by the user to receive that reinforcement. One simply needs to open the app and a video curated for their exact preferences will play, usually with a catchy song or dance incorporated into it. Once that video ends, another relatable video is available in one swift swipe - the excitement and rush that the user feels from these clips is easily recreated by the next video on their feed. This is why some people will spend hours on Tik Tok without even realizing any time has passed at all.
The Impact
Although the app was designed to be a fun, innovative, and global form of social media, I have a few qualms with the technology industry designing programs that are quite literally meant to keep our faces glued to screens. Tik Tok, and other platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter quite literally profit off of human engagement and attention with their products. Technology corporations have fooled us into thinking we are gaining something valuable from using their products, when in reality our engagement is the product. The more we click notifications and scroll mindlessly, the more money those corporations make. The Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma” delves into this conflict, bringing to light some of the major issues that social media addiction can create within our current generation.
According to the film, studies conducted that “higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction”. Our generation is currently facing a daunting mental health crisis - it has been concluded that young adults aged 18-25 have the highest prevalence of serious mental health illnesses out of any other age group, at 6.8 percent of their population in the United States recorded in the year 2019. It is hard not to believe that some of this can be attributed to social media, as social media can spur feelings of inadequacy, body image issues, and unrealistic expectations. Staring at a screen for hours on end can also decrease productivity and energy levels. Additionally, Tik Tok has brought up important questions about whether or not its young users will have impacted attention spans in the future. With Tik Tok being aimed at capturing users’ attention, and it being proven that social media has detrimental effects on our mental health - we are toeing a pretty dangerous line between satiation and self-preservation.
Though social media has accomplished some amazing feats - such as spreading important information about national social justice movements, like the Black Lives Matter movement, and connecting people all over the globe - it is important to pay attention to the other ways in which social media apps like Tik Tok, impact our lives. Tik Tok has changed the entire social media landscape as we’ve come to know it.
Some of Tik Tok’s highest paid stars are beginning to infiltrate the music industry, such as Addison Rae, who released her debut single “Obsessed” a month ago, and Dixie D’Amelio, who recently collaborated with Wiz Khalifa. The reality TV industry is getting the Tik Tok treatment as well, with a Netflix adaptation about one of Tik Tok’s most successful collective creators, “The Hype House”, to come. A multitude of Tik Tok stars have been cast in new films and music videos, and just about every company under the sun is yearning to collaborate with them for marketing purposes. The notion of Hollywood being taken over by teenagers is controversial to some, as these celebrities did not train classically in music or acting before receiving their “big break”. Although this major transformation of the entertainment industry may seem trivial to some, it will have long-lasting effects on our current generation.
It is clear that this social media dynasty is here to stay...whether we may like it or not. The internet will only continue to evolve, drawing users in with even more inventive methods in the future. Being aware of both the negative and positive influences that apps like Tik Tok can have on our lives at least grants users the autonomy to step back and separate themselves from the virtual world and to create a healthy balance between online and offline.