Speaking TikTalk: Is TikTok Still Just Harmless Fun?
By Becca Howarth
I would be lying if I said I didn’t go on TikTok every day. I think a few of you would be lying, too.
I can confess, I often lay in the bath browsing the various 60 second dances, stunts and stories until my once boiling water has turned lukewarm. Yet, what is it about this ever eccentric app that gets us going so?
It seems the users of TikTok almost have their own language that only those familiar with the app can understand. Facial expressions, specific words and even hand gestures are all part of the ever evolving TikTalk. The various trends of #chaoticenergy and the praising of deities such as TikTok mega-star Charli D'Amelio seem to create a sense of belonging amongst users.
So, is this platform creating a cult-like space for young adults and pretty much everyone everywhere? It can be argued this is so, as can be seen when scrolling through the app - you are almost ushered into different sects of this bizarre platform. For example, I myself have been welcomed into ‘DracoTok’ by the app’s algorithm in which users dedicate their videos to creating POV scenes pretending to be Draco Malfoy’s girlfriend.
Aside from revealing my celebrity crush, it does seem as if TikTok is providing a space for people both young and old to become part of something new and seemingly exciting to devote their time to.
Moreover, it might not be a stretch to suggest that for some, TikTok offers a sort of salvation.
On top of the comedic content on the app, many creators provide advice videos and ‘manifestation’ tips, in which you can learn how to gain anything you want in life merely by thinking about it.
Are you on the right path..?
On top of this, various TikTok content creators also offer tarot card readings to assure users that they are ‘on the right path’ or ‘the person they are thinking about is thinking about them too.’
It sounds ridiculous, right?
Yeah, I know, and yet I have found myself indulging in this senseless superstition and listening to ‘sounds’ that have promised a small fortune will come to me within the next 6 months! This illustrates the power of a platform such as TikTok. It seems to get into our minds and even force us into obscure modern day belief systems that have absolutely nothing in the way of actual evidence to support them. In fact, as TikTok users, we have more chance of speaking to God Themself than receiving the one million quid promised to us by kylielovesdogs from Blackheath!
However, I am arguably being entirely melodramatic. Perhaps, the tumultuous terrain of TikTok really is just harmless fun to keep us entertained while we make our commutes into work. The platform has been proven to make people extremely happy and even wealthy, so really what’s the problem with that? Well, not much I suppose if you’re one of the lucky ones. In some respect, particularly during the current climate, apps such as TikTok have provided solace and unity into a world forced apart by disease. Therefore, for that TikTok, I thank you.
Yet, would this really be an article about TikTok without mentioning the almost god-like feature of the mysterious ‘ For You Page’ algorithm? For a while now young adults have been scrolling through the app being exposed to different videos, all of which are tailored specifically to them, but how?
A Wired article, TikTok Finally Explains How the ‘For You’ Algorithm Works, answers that very question that was on every hormonal teenager’s lips. Wired’s Louise Matsakis divulges that all the videos found on our ‘For You Page’ are the ‘result of past behaviour’, and the omniscient algorithm exposes you to those videos it believes you are most likely to engage with… It makes sense now why so many videos of cheesy pasta make a recurrence on my #FYP.
So, in conclusion, despite a large portion of the Western world being woefully addicted to watching people dance in their pyjamas, TikTok and the culture and community it has created provides a chance for young people to go viral and be celebrated for their lighter side in a time where an actual-viral pandemic attempts to steal the limelight from the entire world. Therefore, for the laughter in a time where there is so little to laugh about, TikTokkers, both creators and users, I applaud you.
But seriously… it’s been a while now - I’m expecting my one million quid, Kylie.