Thoughts on Tiktok?

[frogslime]

Pros: The algorithm's pretty damn good at tailoring to your interests. It's also a neat hub for finding songs you might like, and there's genuinely funny memes and skilled folks on there. So, utilize the algorithm right and you could find yourself some nice entertainment.
Cons: The behavior of a lot users tend to be unbearable, and even downright terrible. The moderation sucks and honestly people get too damn toxic and self-righteous. They'd say something like "No one asked, kys /srs" and add some cute emoji as if they were being quirky. But, I digress, that's usually only on certain parts of the app.
It's just another video-sharing app with the usual good, bad, and ugly. But, deleting it was relieving ngl.

 

[Bowie]

I don’t use it to interact with people at all. To me it’s less of a social app and more of a video equivalent to Pinterest. I love the intricacies of the algorithm and I appreciate the fact I’m able to find like-minded content creators and artists through it that I know I otherwise wouldn’t. In the end it just depends on how you use it and what you can get out of it.

 

[Romaki]

It's just a lot. Lots of funny stuff. Also lots of literally everything else.

 

[Alienfish]

Cons: The behavior of a lot users tend to be unbearable, and even downright terrible. The moderation sucks and honestly people get too damn toxic and self-righteous. They'd say something like "No one asked, kys /srs" and add some cute emoji as if they were being quirky.

This, also people being way too serious, and businesses using it rather than others. Honestly I feel it went down as it changed name/owners etc.

 

[tomatospooks666]

i don't really care one way or the other. it's annoying when i see it advertised and stuff all over and probably won't be using it anytime soon, but it also gets too much hate because people are allergic to other people having some harmless fun.

 

[g u a v a]

i tried using it once but it was overwhelming lol. i think it's because it literally just keeps going and going... and going.

i do watch youtube shorts sometimes but i think generally the format is too much too fast.

 

[Neb]

I have never touched the app actually. It just seems like another addictive website/app that could drain all of my time. One of my moms uses it. She says she likes the videos her friends recommend. Usually the better videos get reposted on other sites, so I look at them there instead.

I do appreciate that Tiktok made Ricky Montgomery mainstream though. His music deserves the recognition it’s finally getting.

 

[Ghost Of Mascevanje]

I'm not entirely familiar with it, but all the videos that I've seen from there (posted by other users on another forum) just give me a terrible case of the shudders : (

 

[VioletUV]

not a fan at all. yes, i am able to see some funny stuff from there through other people or other social media platforms, but that's it. i have seen so many not great things about it that makes me think that we are reverting back to the worst of the earlier times of the internet. the trends, the worst case of clout chasing (yes i know that's what other big social media platforms are for too, but still), the toxic communities, misinformation being brought up again and spreading like wildfire (like mixing different chemicals for cleaning which could KILL someone), etc. are not new or unique to tiktok but it's so bad since it's one of the biggest platforms right now with a wide variety of audience, especially younger ones. i've also seen my siblings scroll down the app, and most of the content is just not great.

idk if some of you have heard of those teens that found a dead body in a suitcase, posted the videos, and tiktok refused to take down the video as requested by a family member of the victim because apparently it did not breach their guidelines? i think the video is taken down now, but that still says a lot.

and my mum has complained about the younger nurses at the hospital doing tiktoks while on duty. and these nurses are already not great at their jobs. one nurse whined that they did not want one of the patients in their area because they say they don't want to do CPR. i would get mad in more detail about that in another day lol

as for the navigation of the app, i just do not like it.

 

[thefallenfruit]

I think TikTok is ok once you actually tune the algorithm to your liking. You can find stuff you like and enjoy on there like pets and other stuff, but you can still sometimes see crazy trends and people doing dangerous stuff for clout. Not to mention the endless amount of people literally doing nothing but some dance trend with a bunch of filters or lip-syncing a song (literally them just mouthing the song with no voice coming from them) and get lots of attention from it. I realize that even though you can find good stuff on there, there's still a lot people that do stupid things on the app, but I just choose to not worry about it because it's not worth my time.

I don't use TikTok a lot anymore mostly because I got bored of it, but if you tune out all of the weird trends, it's mostly a nice app to use.

 

[Smilephantomhive]

I think the short videos are even more damaging to people's attention spans, it's best to avoid.

 

[pawpatrolbab]

Honestly......love it. My partner and I watch the Tik Toks we've sent each other before bed every day

 

[WaileaNoRei]

Like any social media there are good things on there. But since last year I have learned more about it, and it is pretty much soured my opinion on it.

The way it is teaching people to build their whole life and media consumption around a corporate driven algorithm (built to turn people into advertising profiles), as well as the way it has created these euphemisms built around advertising sensibilities (like ‘unalive’). I think is really harmful and gross.

Generally, TikTok seems like a big part of this whole social media trend of forcing all creatives or anyone in any hobby into being a ‘content creator’ is bad for art and bad for mental health.

Personally, on a less serious note, I just don’t like having to watch videos, esp ones with sound. I would rather read something or look at pictures.

 

[tumut]

i don't use it

I like to have control over what content im seeing

 

[Elodie]

I'm much too old for it, at least in spirit.

 

[Emolga59]

Ngl I think tiktok is better than what most say. The whole immaturity is a problem with social media in general, as almost every platform gives people the opportunity to hide behind an account and post things that could be hateful and offensive to others. Tiktok is no exception to this, but people don’t typically mention other social media platforms as much.

I’ve personally enjoyed my time with TikTok, as the videos that are recommended to me are things that I enjoy watching. I like using instagram since imo the format is less confusing.

 

[Seastar]

I've never used it before and don't really plan to. Most of what I've seen shared off-site didn't interest me at all. I'm also kinda annoyed at the existence of YouTube Shorts (which is similar) because I don't like the way those are formatted.
I'm probably just too old for this.

 

[MiniPocketWorld]

I haven't used Tiktok. I mean, I saw some tiktok videos through twitter but that is about it. My aunt loves tiktok. She watches dancing things and food stuff. But from what I have seen, it looks like the most random and cringe things. And the videos are so short. Maybe that is the appeal? This world is going too fast. Everything feels like it is about speed and hopping on it instead of quality of content in my opinion.
I do watch Youtube, but there are some pretty cool stuff on there and they aren't a few seconds long. It can be however long you need it to be to explain something or show something. Or in the case of a funny skit, fill it out to be even funnier and more complex.
Maybe I am just old.

 

[digimon]

i actually love it, and sometimes maybe a little too much. i'm prone to dissociating and lose track of time fairly easily, so i make sure to set an alarm or a timer to limit my time on the app. when i first got it i realized i was spending hours just mindlessly scrolling through the app. it has helped me get different recipe ideas and different ideas for crafting or hobbies i want to try. i currently love looking at different crochet patterns/designs and have a whole folder saved up with things that inspire me. i also have a folder of just funny things saved up to send to my cousin.

 

[oddbear]

i have no problem if anyone uses tiktok, but i absolutely cannot have it on my phone.

i remember having it in 6th grade and spending many hours just sitting there, in the same spot, scrolling. i have this problem with instagram as well; sometimes, i’ll stay up until 3:00 am because it feels like i can’t stop. it’s probably just something wrong with my brain but social media is terrible for me.

an actual problem with tiktok though is the community. if you aren’t in a specific community, depending on what you post, people on there will treat you like trash. i posted something on there about being trans (not the brightest idea) and i immediately got 2 hate comments calling me and my parents losers and saying ”oh hell naw”.
not sure what i was thinking lol. all the people at my old school used tiktok (and i switched to online because it was awful) so i don’t know why it would be any different tbh.