TikTok and The Things Nobody Talks About
TikTok has affected people of all ages around the globe, positively and negatively, and here's how. TikTok currently has about 800 million users. The evidence for how popular TikTok is can be found in Charli D’amelio who has 85.7 million followers. At first, TikTok wasn't TikTok. It initially started as an app called Musical.ly for young preteens and teens to make lip syncing videos with cool transitions. In 2017, a Chinese company called ByteDance bought the app and made TikTok as we know it as today. It is now an app with a wide spectrum of content, with 15-60 second videos ranging from dance trends, science experiments, lip syncing videos, news coverage, and social justice insight. Not only is the content broad but so are the demographics of the app. Like Musical.ly, preteens and teens enjoy the app, but so do parents, adults, and even grandparents!
In preparation for writing this article, I spoke to a group of friends about their experiences with TikTok. While we all agreed that it has been a great source of entertainment, especially during quarantine, we also identified some ways it connects people and allows people to have a broad audience to try things out, like learning and making dance trends. TikTok has impacted people’s aesthetic and style by giving them inspiration and tutorials. We also felt that we would not know as much about current events as we do now without the app. TikTok allows a space for people to build each other up, create uplifting and warm content, and give and get positive feedback.
Despite the positive aspects of TikTok, things like body shaming and racism are normalized on the app. It has torn down walls of compassion, oftentimes I will scroll and see mean comments. People often don’t consider each other’s feelings when using the app; they don’t consider that they are actually writing about real people. Amongst the fun trends on the app, there are also some toxic trends that have appeared like tying headphone wires around your waist or posting videos asking how to lose weight fast. These comment tactics are encouraging people to succumb to unhealthy habits. Children and teens compare themselves with impossible beauty standards for their age. Many creators don't realize how they are setting examples and affecting their viewers.
Nessa Barrett, a well-known creator on the app, has spoken out about the hate she has gotten recently and how it has affected her mental health. Nessa told an interviewer from Entertainment Tonight that she has struggled with mental health issues all her life. Barret said she has bipolar disorder and anxiety. The hate she receives on TikTok doesn't help.
But, how does it affect the average user? Many girls feel self conscious about themselves or their bodies because they see girls on social media platforms like TikTok who they view as perfect (according to society).These videos have comments like, “I guess I won't eat today,” “Me sitting here eating pizza,” “I wish I looked like that,” “Breathe,” and “So you think I’m skinnyyyyy” (referring to a trending TikTok sound.) You go to TikTok to distract yourself, then you see a video of a girl dancing in a bikini and seeing all these other girls in the comments putting themselves down because they wish they looked that way and it makes you question your worth. This is normal now and it's sad to think that this is who we have become.
Another issue is what TikTok allows users to post. Some people think body type influences the decision to take down certain videos in bikinis, But posts that are promoting racism, and other negativity stay up. How is that right? TikTok is probably the most used app on many young people’s phones, but with that comes the responsibility of the company to promote good things, not negativity and problematic content.
Being a teen now is hard, especially with everyone having social media, but getting through all of the hate and the pain is how you grow. Social media platforms like TikTok have been staples in our generation. Whether we like it or not, this is an integral part of our lives and we all must learn how to not let it consume us or break us down.