Is TikTok really the only place where the latest trends start?
I've noticed that any trend or fad that I find out about months later originates on TikTok. I have no interest in using the app for a variety of reasons, but if it's something that might actually improve how I live then I might get FOMO.
Most trends show up on Tiktok; very few originate there. Compared to the volume of content that never trends, the stuff that does is a tiny subset of the total.
The people that are considered “influencers” tend to have Tiktok accounts and find out about new trends there and amplify them.
Guess you need to ask yourself how you see it improving your life, to answer that question.
IMO, no social media will improve your life, in a meaningful way. They may kill time, or seem like you're benefiting from them, but in the long run, they are propaganda/data collection machines, and nothing more.
I'm trying to use this whole reddit madness to quit using the internet for anything that isn't intentional. The fact that I'm here writing a comment shows that it's not going perfectly, but so far reducing the time I spend scrolling or watching YouTube has definitely improved my headspace.
The simple act of not using my phone or any other screen until I get out of home in the morning makes me so much more energetic and my mind more clear.
It's a fucking addiction and most of us have it without realizing. The horrible part is that quitting cuts you out of so much stuff, but it really is worth it.
lol. TikTok is absolutely NOT where you want to be then. I suppose you should ask yourself why you care about trends if you’re trying to live more intentionally.
As for giving up completely, imo it’s like people that go on hyper restrictive diets. It’s unrealistic. They fail every time. A reasonable amount of time on social is fine. It’s like ice cream, or a glass of wine. Once in a while is totally realistic. Spending all your time doing it is bad.
I think people are misunderstanding what I'm getting at...
Some creators I've seen on YouTube came up with interesting content ideas on TikTok and transitioned over to YouTube to make more money, specifically photographers
@dekema Understood, but what I think people are trying to say is that TikTok isn't what you are looking for. It's trash content to keep people scrolling. Arguably all social media is that, but TikTok also has the "bonus" of being enough chinese owned that it's also a concerning data collection tool.
There may be a handful of creators on there, but think just about every link from tiktok you see. Personally, every time I see anything from there it's some dumb dance, some dumb car trend, or a new "challenge", or someone rambling about something they did/someone they encountered in public.
Unfortunately, if you want to make money, you need to whore yourself out on some form of social, and it's usually mindless useless content. And because you need to post constantly, to keep the algorithms happy, the content suffers. TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook being the worst currently, imo.
I feel like there is a moving window. The window is where the majority of new memes and stuff come from. Its not that they are only coming from there just that its sort of the primary source. Over time the window moves and other outlets though they still are their own sources start to become a place to repost things that are from the platform currently most under the window.
Right now, tiktok is pretty firmly under the window. In time it shifts again.