Why I Never Liked TikTok?
Cringe Content is not the Reason
So, it’s been at least 2 weeks since the government of India banned the social media platform, TikTok.
The news had different reactions from different people.
- Some were sad that they lost a platform which provided them hope and made them realize that they could do something in life.
- Some were happy that these TikTokers who were speaking a lot during the YouTube vs TikTok debate now lost their platform.
“Carry ki video hatwai thi na? Tumhara toh dhanda hi band ho gya.” This is exactly what these people are saying.
- There were also a few like me, who were silent and quietly observing the whole situation — and we are the ones who write lengthy blogs on these topics.
While people may call you a coward for not choosing a side, I believe remaining silent and observing things can be a lot helpful at times. It gives you a chance to see things from a neutral perspective and present them as it is.
So, here I am with this blog presenting my point of view.
Let’s start with what I feel about this whole scenario:
- First of all, I feel bad for the content creators. Being a content creator myself, I understand what it takes to create an account from scratch and being worth something. But I can’t even imagine the pain they might’ve felt when they realized that everything they had built was worth nothing.
- I feel pity for people who are making fun of them because gloating on the failure of someone doesn’t make you great or even patriotic, not even human.
- But a proud Indian, I firmly believe in my government’s decision. Whatever it has decided is worth it and is for our safety.
Still, this doesn’t change the fact that I never liked TikTok…
Is cringe content the reason?
No…
Because as one of my connections on Instagram, Jayantika, pointed out — not all the content on TikTok is cringe.
And I agree with her.
Once, one of my roommates Abhishek showed me some TikTok handles who were posting beautiful landscapes.
Not only this, I have seen many people posting beautiful sketches, dance moves, and inspirational videos on TikTok.
So, cringe content is definitely not the reason behind my dislike (not hate) for TikTok.
but there are a few others like:
1. TikTok was Reducing Our Attention Span
The biggest drawback I noticed in TikTok was that how quickly it was affecting our attention span which already way less, i.e. 8 seconds — even lesser than the attention span of a gold fish.
15–60 seconds long videos of TikTok were the reason for it.
“What’s wrong with 15–60 seconds long videos? Everybody likes them.” some of you might want to ask.
Well, my friends, the thing is that 15–60 second is very less time for human brain to focus and process what’s happening.
After each 15–60 seconds, TikTok used to stream a new video — going from one micro-length video to another at a rapid pace. This means brain had to focus on a new activity after each 15–60 seconds, which ultimately reduced the attention span and ability to concentrate for too long.
And we all realize the importance of both these things. No matter if you want to crack a competitive exam or climb up the corporate ladder, you need to give hundred percent and it is only possible if you are able to concentrate for long.
I guess we all have seen how the reduced attention span is impacting us. Earlier we were able to study for hours but all now we can’t even concentrate on work for more than 5–10 minutes. The moment we start working on something or open books, our mind starts drifting. We are not able to stay productive at all.
I am not saying TikTok is the only culprit here. But with this type of content, it was heavily contributing to this problem. In case you want to dig more into the matter, this blog by Steve Kelman explains it very well.
2. TikTok was Overly Addictive
TikTok is the best example of brain-hacking, a marketing tactic that companies are using to keep their consumers occupied with their product for long hours.
The application was specially targeted to keep teenagers hooked. Every element of the app, its user interface, the display of content on your feed, and the process of promoting your videos was pre-planned.
You might have noticed that there were not many controls or buttons in the Tik-Tok app:
Just a simple feed where you recieved specially targeted videos.
The only option you had was to slide up the video you did not like, but then the other one appeared.
It was like a continuous stream of bullets fired at you. You dodged one but then the other one came.
The only difference was that these bullets were not designed kill you but keep you addicted for hours.
As a result, you could not pay attention to study, work, or other things which were more important.
Parents saw the performance of their kids dropping drastically, companies saw a huge drop in productivity, and families saw their bonds straining as kids were busy in TikTok and parents were sad that are not listening to them.
I am not saying TikTok is the only culprit here. PUBG was using the same approach and we all know the level of damage it caused — but TikTok was taking the addiction to a whole new level.
3. TikTok was a pipe-dream
Sure, there were people who rose from slums and became overnight sensation because of TikTok and the platform offered them a chance to change their life for good.
But if we get realistic and look at the numbers, you would realize that they are very less. Let’s say 1 or 2 in 10, 000.
These are the ones highly popular on social media and have millions of followers. But about the rest 9998, we don’t even know.
It’s really sad to see teenagers get so much distracted that they spend hours on these platforms instead of studying and chasing their goals — just because it promises to offer them a glamorous lifestyle.
Taking 12–15 shots on a lip-syncing video is acceptable to them, but spending an hour or two on a subject that might get them good grades is not. Getting fail in a subject doesn’t scare or make them feel sad — but getting lesser likes or losing followers does.
Seriously, where are we heading to? Our actual goals do not matter to us but we were chasing dreams on social media.
That’s why I never liked TikTok because I need apps which can help me stay more productive and achieve my goals — not distract from them.
4. TikTok Created Pseudo Celebrites
The worst thing that TikTok did was to make it look easy for people to become a star, and sadly many of them did not even know what to make of this celebrity status.
And it also killed their empathy for others, which is clearly visible in this ridiculous statement by a famous TikToker during the “TikTok vs YouTube” debate was:
“YouTubers don’t even know how much effort it takes to create TikTok videos — and they use our original content.”
After hearing it I was like:
I accept the fact that it may take some struggle to shoot a video on TikTok, but are you trying to undermine the efforts of YouTubers?
Do you know how much efforts it takes to create a video on YouTube?
First, you write a script. Then you shoot the video. Then you edit it, and then you have to market it.
Moreover, thousands of things are involved when it comes to posting content on YouTube. There are hundreds of policies to be kept in mind. Make a small mistake and your video will be taken down by YouTube.
If someone makes three strikes against your channel, your channel will be shut down.
Even after all these hurdles if your channel survives, there is a lot of competition. There are millions of YouTubers.
Only after surviving all these hurdles and surpassing all the competition one becomes a YouTube star.
Now if we talk about you, all you need is to lip sync to either a famous song, movie dialogue, or the vines of YouTubers (who you were accusing of using your original content) — which might be difficult to perfect in first take and a little improvisation which needs a little presence of mind. You have filters and you have background music available — what else you need to shoot a video?
And let’s not forget the level to which these people were stooping to gather popularity. They took the conversation from the gaming stream of a famous YouTuber and his sister — and promoted the whole thing as the conversation between a boyfriend-girlfriend.
See this video: https://youtu.be/4J3EwhFpuO8
Another lady glorified the whole domestic violence thing by promoting it as a tussle with the girlfriend of a hot guy.
But..I had promised that I will not talk about cringe content here.
So, I will not.
Still, all these things show how pseudo and empty people had become for the sake of stardom.
As content creators, our job is difficult.
So, it’s fair to talk about your struggles. But don’t undermine the other person’s struggles to make yours look big. Do not be like this lady.
So, that was another big reason behind my dislike for TikTok
Not saying all of them are the same. But most were like this.
5. Tik-Tok was a Security Threat
This was the actual reason why TikTok and other 50 Chinese apps were banned in India.
And the truth is it was not the first time, TikTok was under scrutiny for this matter. The app has also been accused of security concerns in the past.
Even if the security concerns have not been proved, there is something wrong with the app. Even the companies like Amazon and Wells Fargo are asking their employees to delete it.
The thing is that no app, no followers, and no popularity is worth my country’s safety. Even you people will agree with it.
But what will happen to the content creators?
They will evolve and find other platform to showcase their expertise. Instagram has already launched Instagram Reels and I am sure some of them have already started using it.
So, the show will go on. It will never stop.
Those who create cringe content will keep creating cringe content, those who create great content will keep doing the same.
And bloggers like me will keep blogging. But on a different topic.
Finally, know one thing:
Just because I did not like TikTok, doesn’t mean I hate people who use it. I have no problem in what you use or what you create — because my priorities are clear and I know what content I need to consume.
So, keep creating & peace out. ✌
