I always have my phone in my hand, much like the majority of people you see today. As soon as I wake up, during every still moment of the day, and before I fall asleep, my attention is on that little screen of pixels, my brain hungry for new content. Of all the social media spaces bred by the internet, what is it about TikTok that churns my curiosity? There’s Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat, and even long-gone Vine, with new social networking sites popping up by the day. Yet, none of them sustain my attention as TikTok does.
When TikTok first took the internet by storm, it was mainly a lip-syncing and dancing app that no one really took seriously. Now, it’s used globally by 1 billion monthly active users as of April 2022—following closely behind Instagram at 1.4 billion. What sets it apart from other apps is the very specific algorithm and sustained inflow of tailored content that it brings to each user. Social media sites are typically built to keep you connected to other users that you care about. Take Instagram and Facebook, for example. You follow friends and family, whose posts show up on your feed or timeline. On TikTok, however, the first thing you see is the “For You” page, which is essentially like a discover page flooded with endless content from users that you don’t have to follow. The more you use the app and interact with videos, the better the algorithm knows you—and you end up with a stream of content tailored specifically towards your interests.
They’re truly unending, the TikToks. And thanks to my algorithm and unquenchable need for constant brain stimulation, I’ve found myself exposed to niche pockets of culture and interest that I never would’ve found otherwise. Once, I found myself watching videos of a lady who breeds axolotls for hours. Another time, I found myself on beekeeper TikTok, marveling at a lady who touches bees with her bare hands. The nature of TikTok lends itself to fleeting trends and (pop) cultural moments that I can’t help but wonder about. That’s why I decided to write about some of the sides of TikTok I’ve ended up on—the memories they’ve sparked, the feelings they’ve elicited, and the aimless ponderings they’ve ignited.
