By: Austin Carter
In a growing age of social media, TikTok has vaulted to the top of the conversation in terms of popularity and consumption, adding another layer to the issue of social media addiction.
The video-based app became popular in 2018 after merging with a similar app called music.ly. TikTok’s popularity has grown considerably, sitting around an estimated 1 billion active users in January of 2022, according to Statista.
Initially viewed as just a dance video app, its outreach and ability to be shared across various other platform has attracted a multitude of users. “I started seeing TikTok videos cross-posted to other platforms with incredibly interesting topics ranging from mental health to finances to comedy,” said Nefertiti Herbert, TikTok influencer.
Herbert’s introduction to the app was similar to that of many others, transitioning from being skeptical initially to being fully engulfed upon downloading. As fulfilling as it was for her to become an influencer and reach an audience of over 100,000 followers, she realized she had to take a step back and evaluate her extreme usage of the app.
TikTok is unique in the way that it attempts to keep its users on the app as much as possible. Its algorithm filters the content each user sees individually based on their activity on the app. The For You Page is an endless stream of tailor-made content that the app provides to its users to keep them consistently engaged.
“I find spending more time on the app than I probably should,” said Gracie Griffith, TikTok user. “I have a time limit set on my phone for an hour per day, but I always end up extending it.”
While social media use as a whole continues to rise and become the norm, TikTok’s specialized way of hooking its users can cause the procrastination of other priorities. “I put off things like homework, laundry, dinner and even sleep every day because of TikTok,” said Griffith.
Social media addiction is classified as a behavioral addiction. One of the key criteria involved with this type of addiction is the obsession with social media to the point that it becomes a hindrance to other areas of someone’s life, according to Addiction Center.
“Having such a wide variety of content at your fingertips in short, 15-second clips can have you mindlessly scrolling for way longer than you ever intended,” said Chris Schwartz, TikTok user. This seemingly endless loop of scrolling is caused by the feeling the users get from consuming the app’s content.
Herbert described social media as a dopamine factory. The release of dopamine in a person’s brain is responsible for their feelings of pleasure. Essentially, social media is a “happy place” for people to escape to, and the rush of dopamine they receive each time they open the app keeps them continuously coming back for more.
While Herbert has found considerable success on TikTok, she does warn that both new and current users alike should proceed with caution given how easily the app hooks people.
“Reminding yourself to take a step back and examine the way your consumption is affecting you is extremely important,” Herbert said.