Affirmative

TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform in the world! Each month TikTok has 800 MILLION
active users.

That is more active users than Twitter, Reddit, SnapChat, and Pinterest! Unlike these and other rival
platforms, TikTok at its core recommends content.

Recommendations aren’t but a feature, they are what makes TikTok work! TikTok receives more
engagement per user than Instagram and on average its users spend 52 minutes per day on the platform.

These are incredibly shocking statistics coming from a platform that begin in late 2016!

TikTok is Unique

Many social platforms use some variation of a recommendation algorithm to provide accurate content
that fit the historic behaviors of its users. To spare you the details, TikTok is able to recommend you
videos by what you and others have watched.

If you watched the same TikTok as others, you are likely to be recommended the videos they have
watched.

These algorithms are able to predict the preferences that you would give to a piece of content based on
the activity of similar users to you.

Normally, social platforms provide you with more control first. What I mean by that is you get to decide
what you do and do not see immediately as you enter the platform.

Take Instagram as an example, its central focus is to provide its users a photo and video sharing platform.
You immediately are introduced to a feed of images and videos from individuals you chose to follow.

The section of the app to infinitely scroll through recommended images takes a backseat to the images
and videos from those you chose follow.
The same is true historically from YouTube, and Facebook among other older social media.

However, TikTok is recommendation first.

As soon as you enter the platform you are hit with an infinite viewing experience of 15 second videos
made predominately by young creators that you never chose to watch.

This makes the platform immediately stimulating. TikTok’s mission, as it claims, aims to “.. capture and
present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone.
TikTok enables everyone to be a creator, and encourages users to share their passion and creative
expression through their videos.”

Although users can and do provide such content, the consequences of how the platform operates should
be subject to rigorous scrutiny. Why would a platform with such an initiative employ a recommendation
first approach? Would that not support captivation over creativity?

If the platform aims to present creativity, knowledge and precious life moments, why is the content
restricted to 15 second videos?

The Audience

A staggering 41% of self-reported TikTok users are aged 16–24yrs old. Since the platform is restricted to
those aged 13yrs or older and from the sentiment of those who use or recognize the platform, it would
not be surprising if the platform has a much larger younger audience.

Younger users are much more impressionable, and naïve. It is easy to recognize the social dangers that
occur when an open and auto recommended platform uses the viewing data of an impressionable
audience to engage with its platform.

At the very least, this may manipulate a younger individuals perception of what is to be socially
acceptable behavior and what are well formed beliefs.

This can be on issues of social and individual identity, and a distraction from accomplishing the crucial
tasks requisite of them at such a formative age to engage with the passions that can lead to a flourishing
life.
Furthermore, younger individuals may feel more obliged to engage with this platform. The more
impressionable the user, the more they lack the control to disengage from the platform and the more
data the platform has to accurately recommend these individuals appropriate content.

This effect spirals given that both the social demands and the improving content the platform provides,
the more it is likely these users spend on TikTok.

A Cornell student of the name Niko Nguyen wrote an opinion piece about the their troubling experience
with the platform. This is a quote from that piece:

“The majority of my past winter break was spent on TikTok, up until the moment when the app took its
dying breath on my phone. But even when I wasn’t scrolling through the endless stream of cringe-
worthy “Renegade” dances and entertaining life hacks I know I’ll never use, I started to notice TikTok
everywhere I looked.

My group chats were constantly inundated by waves of TikToks my friends found funny. Scrolling through
Instagram stories and Twitter — two social media platforms competing against TikTok — I found myself
consuming the short-form videos outside of the app itself. Offline, when I was with my friends, we would
reference TikToks, discuss TikToks, joke about TikToks, remake TikToks. It squirmed and squeezed its way
into every corner of my social life.

In the blink of an eye, TikTok somehow dominated the social media industry, firmly planting itself into
the culture of today’s youth.”

This speaks to the issues addressed here and adequately describe some of the sentiments many young
individuals have of the platform. TikTok has also been accused of including harvesting user data and
suppressing content made by queer, differently abled and fat creators. Which, if true, could have drastic
social and personal effects on its impressionable and large audience.

How TikTok Affects Us

It is important to understand what is representative of addiction to stipulate if TikTok is addictive for you.

Common symptoms of addiction are; an inability to stop using, negative health effects, obsessive
behavior and it is used to cope with outside problems.
TikTok may be addictive if the content provides enough stimulus for the users to exhibit addiction
symptoms and a neurological reaction that is consistent with addiction.

What sort of content can be addictive? Content containing information, and especially it is short and
captivating.

TikTok has a lot of information. Having access to relevant information can improve decision making. This
is why new and relevant information are rewards for our brain.

Rewards are treated in the mid brain with a dopamine response just as an intake of foods high in sugar,
fat and salt is. This is both true for the consumption, but also for the anticipation of such a reward.
Interestingly, TikTok’s information is presented in a 15 second form.

This means that although the users do get well-recommended stimulating information, I am hard-
pressed to believe that meaningful content can be adequately displayed in such a short amount of time.

Twitter has been scrutinized for its character limit for a very similar reason. It is simply difficult to convey
adequately the view that you represent so quickly with such limited and distanced engagement.

This makes the platform more susceptible to the kinds of expected stimulus seen in addiction.

TikTok as a platform fulfills some of those requirements for addiction. The short videos provide us with
relevant information that stimulate a dopamine response.

This process is constantly reinforced by consistently supplying us with more appropriately recommended
videos.

What I would I also propose is TikTok allows viewers to engage intimately and anonymously with many
content creators without being judged or feeling obliged to participate while giving users permission to
judge.
This sense of connection, distant engagement, the ability to be anonymous and expressive with a stream
of constantly relevant information and our recommendations being chosen for may serve as platform to
develop an addiction.

As of today 68 percent of users said they felt addicted or used it more than intended.

Tips to Spend Less Time on TikTok

All of these benefits are difficult to ignore, but it is important to regulate your time on TikTok so it does
not get in the way of other responsibilities or fun activities. The following tips can help you turn off this
popular video sharing site and control your addiction.

1 – Record how much time you actually spend on TikTok to determine if it is a problem or not. You might
be surprised at how many hours of the day get lost in the short video rabbit hole.

2 – Unfollow content creators who do not provide real value to your life. Some may put out content that
is fun for the moment but has limited entertainment value on the whole.

3 – Give yourself a time limit so you do not visit TikTok before noon or after 8 PM. Of course, you can
choose different times based on your habits and personal goals. If you have trouble sticking to this rule,
set up an app blocker on your phone to help.

4 – Find something else to do with your time instead. These types of dopamine-boosting activities are so
easy to get addicted to if you have nothing else positive going on. Make a weekly lunch date with a
friend. Take an online class that uses up time and gives you real benefits. Start a new hobby that has
nothing to do with the Internet at all.

TikTok can offer a high degree of social status and positive reinforcement that becomes addictive in a
unique way. Getting a like or a great comment on the content you share immediately delivers a boost of
validation and self-esteem to your mind. You never have to feel bad about enjoying the attention, but it
is important to recognize if it starts to take over other aspects of your life. You can spend less time on
TikTok and still reap the benefits of this enjoyable platform.

Digitalresponsobility.org

Washingtonpost.com
Medium.com