I'm terrified of TikTok and you should be too

TikTok is the world's biggest scrolling content social media platform. KZbin shorts and Instagram reels are also juggernauts in this form of entertainment. However I am terrified of scrolling content on social media. I think that short form content is inherently evil because the algorithms that control it maximize profits by neurohacking your emotional response system. It erodes attention spans, creates Echo Chambers, and excuse people's sense of self-worth. This video is pretty much one giant criticism of social media platforms.
Twitter: / drift0r
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[@freakied0550]

Last time I was this early I learned that the AUG HBAR was a 2 shot kill from any distance with stopping power.

[@yourfavoritespartan8841]

😂

[@chadieladdie]

Driftor is honestly one of the very few human beings that I will listen to anything he has to say about any subject because he has all the right morals, fantastic views of life and how to treat people, and in this case i cant wait to watch this one based on the title and subject of the video ❤️

[@balloonedraccoon2503]

I completely agree, and couldn't have said it better myself.

[@goaliepro1996]

This is how I feel about him as well! I love his opinion not just on Call of Duty! Side note: what’s happening to the channel? Are you covering gaming and media moving forward instead of game/weapon reviews

[@DManLewis1]

This has been me since like 2015 lol

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

not all of his views are correct, but a lot of them are

[@cameron3]

I’ve commented something similar on another one of his videos, I really do value his opinion so much more than any other online person

[@zaneaiviet3374]

I used to watch him breakdown weapons and loadouts on B02 and now I’m watching him breakdown the nuanced realities of what social media and influencers have done and the damage it causes. Also that echo chamber point is so incredibly valid and it is shocking how prevalent that is amongst teenagers. Based Drift0r

[@foxgardner]

Hey Drift, just wanted to pop in the comments to say I really appreciate you talking about this topic. It's crazy how effective this style of media is at getting a hold of ones psyche. It's been a creeping terror seeing how even regular longform videos have adopted the same techniques and styles most seen in scrolling content. I don't really feel there's a place on the internet I can go to find refuge from fast-moving content. The gaming space grew a lot because it benefited from longer content, but youtube has since learned better ways to hold people down. Today any half successful gaming video today is tightly edited and with things constantly popping up on the screen (text, memes, images, etc). The vast majority of videos (long and shotform) today don't give you anything worthwhile. If there is such a thing as a digital antidote to this problem, I would suggest much of your content as an example. I struggle to think of many other independent channels who make content that leaves me to mull over an important topic or idea for a long time afterwards.

[@oceanside9508]

The attention span thing is so apparent in my 11-year old cousin. I’ve noticed a strong change in his personality ever since he started scrolling tiktok. He’s become significantly more impatient and incredibly bored by regular media he used to love etc. Crazy world…

[@DarkshadowXD63]

The lowering attention spans of kids and young adults is seriously a concern. If we ignore the variety of security reason the app poses. Tiktok is a scary thing but I fear the next thing that follows after it.

[@MrDoverfield]

Neglectful parents: Why? When social media can raise my children?

[@David.77]

I remember someone saying it doesn't lower our attention span, but it's good at exploiting and maintaining our innate attention. I believe the "lowering attention span" is a common juvenoia assertion that doesn't correctly see the big picture. Don't get me wrong, I'm on your side, but if we want to solve the problem, we must understand it.

[@kajundestructor]

I can see the difference in family that’s addicted to tik tok

[@someoneelse5209]

⁠@@David.77what are you talking about? It literally lowers our attention span. Its so incredibly apparent and I don’t see why you’re choosing to not recognize that.

[@shaneog6298]

​@@David.77yes... It's very good at capturing our innate attention in 30 - 60 second rapid bursts... Thus, lowering our attention span to things that don't capture our innate attention. Especially stuff in the real world that requires more than a few minutes of our attention.

[@g7majoh125]

I have been watching your content for six years now and I always thought that there is some wisdom in you. I just wanted to say thank you for still creating content despite your low views and poor health

[@Drift0r]

Thank you for still watching

[@AklepEtan]

Only dopamine hit I get is when Drif0r uploads

[@HazopGaze]

"It is in your nature to destroy yourselves." T-800, Terminator 2: Judgement Day That's how this subject makes me feel. Speaking personally, I went through a great deal of pain and frustration as I tried to understand myself. Not just my biases, but down to how I think about everything. Now, it's a regular part of my existence and I'm far better for it. Self awareness is a wonderful thing, and it's allowed me to avoid the traps of scrolling content and freed me from various polarized positions I once held. The only reason I don't swear off social media entirely is because, like you, I want to try and do some good out here.

[@Drift0r]

I'm glad you fought through the process

[@JiuJitsuM4]

I’ve been saying this for a few years now. I’m officially been off of social media for a year or so now. The only thing I have is KZbin because I enjoy it for entertainment as well as education. Tiktok and all those “scrolling” apps are there to kill your attention span. Hence why we had teens and young adults walking out of “Oppenheimer.” Too bored to pay attention to quality cinema. Would rather watch something fast paced. Same thing for gambling. I’ve been sober for a few years and that is some dangerous dopamine addition. Blows my mind as to how the elderly sit behind those slot machines for eight hours a day as they mindlessly press the spin button. That’s another topic you can speak on.

[@InfuzeDcyphR]

I do agree but I will say honestly before social media I've always preferred more action-packed movies and do find that movie as boring.

[@JiuJitsuM4]

@@InfuzeDcyphRI think that’s subjective. A good example would be something that utilizes a mixture of slow and fast pace effectively like “The Dark Knight.” A movie that is only fast paced would probably be something like “Transformers.” Both of these two aforementioned films are entertaining in their own right, but it doesn’t take a genius to determine that the former is a significantly better movie even if it might be a bit more “boring.” Another example of slow pace entertaining would be something like Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” A really good movie that will bore a TikToker to death.

[@InfuzeDcyphR]

@i70nukes Well, it looks boring and not my cup of tea, so I don't care to watch it. And I don't use TikTok. I usually am uninterested in movies with long boring stories.

[@JiuJitsuM4]

@@InfuzeDcyphRI genuinely found nothing boring about it. The cast alone enthralled me to watch it. Then again, I have a severe fascination history from 1945 and onwards. Something I actually touched upon in my dissertation. So yeah, it’s quite subjective to say the least. Lol

[@InfuzeDcyphR]

@@JiuJitsuM4 For sure

[@ZackaryWilliams77]

I've watched your videos since your weapon breakdowns and I will say I am shocked by how much you've changed how I perceive things and making me aware of things in my life. I'm glad I've generally stayed off social media and this video has justified it. Thank you.

[@netcodeerror9420]

Thank you, Driftor. This is a video people *NEED* to see. If you are reading this: Watch this video, and then delete your social media apps. Go learn an instrument! Read a book! Exercise outside! Your life will put its self back together, but the first steps are up to you. Good luck.

[@Drift0r]

Thank you :)

[@berserkerrxii5776]

I am in a band and social media is a requirement unfortunately :/

[@pinobluevogel6458]

Essentially, KZbin is just as much a form of social media. It can provide value in entertainment, information and / or promoting creativity or thought. Still, like anything in life, you have to use it responsibly. Removing them from your phone is a good way to limit the use though, so I respect the idea a lot.

[@sosmooth13]

I feel like moderating it like our parents did with TV is all we need to do. I’m a younger millennial (late 20’s) and a I grew up with parents that let me watch tv for about 2-3 hours spread out throughout the day. I’m glad I was raised that way because the shows I watched and lifestyle I lived encouraged activity and imagination. Boomers got me f*cked up on a lot of things, but I’m with them when it comes to tik tok and internet brain rot at least. It’s just ironic that we hear the same gripes from people that sit down and watch something like Fox News all day lol

[@morgananderson5058]

“Your life will put itself back together” I needed this positive encouragement. As a recovering scrolling addict, my attention span is shot and it is genuinely difficult for me to generate joy in the real world. Some days it feels like I will never experience the richness of life ever again. But I have to keep reading, exercising, and finding joy in the mundane. My life will put itself back together

[@jaytee6787]

Seeing how it affects my adult friends, I can’t imagine how addictive these apps are to kids. I genuinely think every parent should stop their kid from having tik tok or at least explain to them how it affects them.

[@mintylectable]

This was an amazing video. Thank you very much Drift for these absolute BANGER videos man! also I strongly agree with your opinions, I was addicted to Tiktok and KZbin Shorts for 2 1/2 years and it was horrible. Quitting these short form infinite scrolling social media apps was probably the greatest decision me and my friends ever made.

[@Drift0r]

I'm glad you were able to beat your addiction!

[@aapur3]

Hey Drift0r! I don’t usually comment on videos but everything you said in this video resonated with me so well. I am 25 and connected to my phone since forever but as a communication science and rhetoric major I took all the classes you had mentioned and have taken the time to consciously be aware of short form content as it has developed over time. I refuse to download tik tok when a lot of my generation seems to be all it talks about as well as always ignoring content that KZbin/Facebook tries to throw at me. Just being aware has made me change how I go about interacting with social media and content in general and I always seek out smarter content that lays out facts and longer content that gives in depth information rather than the quick stuff. I just really appreciated this video and know that I’m in a right state of mind and pushing the flow of data and content in a way that is disruptive against the algorithm makes me feel good about my habits. Thank you for this video and wishing you good health- from your long time fan and supporter

[@Drift0r]

Thank you for watching and interacting! I wish the classed you took in college were standard for high school students too. Those classes open up people's minds in a good way.

[@willhutton1516]

Hey drift! From watching your videos I learned that since I am now growing into an adult, (I am 23 now, and used to play the HELL out of ranked overwatch 1 and warzone 1) I discovered that playing those games for so long and having so much accumulated skill, that I forgot what actual discovery and exploration felt like. Since then, I haven’t played Fortnite since chapter 2, season 1. And haven’t really played warzone 2 all that much aside from whenever plunder comes out. I now own an atv and try and go riding with my family and friends and just spending time with them. That feeling is something I forgot existed thanks to games like overwatch and Fortnite.

[@chadieladdie]

Midway throughout this video i found myself moving all my social media apps to the far right of my home screen to reduce use and was mind blown when i found myself naturally going to click on Instagram and caught myself, i knew i was addicted to Instagram and forced myself to stay off of Tik Tok due to it being too addicting but man, this was actually a big shock

[@GodmadetheCozmos]

iPhones have a screen time settings, it helps but it's really easy to just ignore the warning

[@SuperCakeKing]

couple ideas. delete the app use safari for them itll be more hoops to jump through to get to that content when you have to log in every time or download it to upload something. replace it with something leisurely but holds attention more such as movies or tv shows reading longer form youtube videos. finally practice intermittent fasting but with the internet. only go online after a certain time. and only use it for a certain amount of time. its not the healthiest but when i was younger in school i would watch videos before school for like 15 or 30 mins. wouldnt be on the phone or computer all day until i got home. ultimately going on the phone or computer as a leisure activity and otherwise having hobbies and going outside is the best. this leaves you with about 1 or 2 hours at most online every day.

[@jk_james7833]

Thank you for shedding the light on this topic, ive read about it before but i still find it extremely difficult to stop endless scrolling and its mostly due to it being normalized in our society

[@isaacscott5459]

This entire video was so insightful. Literally everything you talked about I was like WAIT THAT’S HAPPENED BEFORE. Like I’ll watch these shorts about poor workplace management and get super mad cause it keeps showing me those shorts, and then the next one would be about workplace rights and I’d feel super empowered. And then it may feel abundantly obvious that shorts or reels can ruin attention spans but I honestly didn’t put two and two together till you said this. I’ve worked one of the most stressful jobs I’ve ever had this past year and (though there are also other contributing circumstances) I asked my doctor for a medicine to help me focus cause I couldn’t keep a steady attention span on the job. It’s rough accepting that I need to seriously slow my intake of social media, especially when I’m trying to make a career in entertainment and the best way to put myself out there is through social media. But this video was such an eye opener. Idk how I’m going to, but I need to do better. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@Its_Hectorrr]

I work with children and I DEFINITELY see the shorter attention span among them. A lot of them aren't aware of the harms social media & short form content causes. I hate that I'm addicted to my phone. I check my messages, notifications, etc so compulsively. BUT, I also try to be mindful of the content I see & create. It's very hard because phones, the internet, social media are ingrained within our society SO MUCH. I'm glad that you're bringing more awareness to this situation. Building awareness & making mindful decisions is how we inspire change. Thank youuu😊

[@Drift0r]

I think KZbin is the best for building awareness for issues.

[@joshuaalio762]

Even in my University classes where I have to make Vlogs for social media, its a requirement to keep the Vlog under one minute in order to keep ones attention. Makes the assignments not as bad, but its legit worrying.

[@MaliReborn]

Thanks driftor! Since I started and upped my vitamine B1 intake I am feeling awesome! And since 3 months ago I deleted my social media except KZbin. Never been on tik tok luckily. I'm trying to meditate daily to withstand the current culture of external impulses

[@sethtaccola]

Been thinking this way about the content abyss for a while and it is absolutely depressing to watch people combat this thought process like you're trying to take away their world. It's crushing creativity and organic communication between people, we get force fed perspectives that are fringe and portrayed like fact to the point of illogical acceptance, it's controlling the paradigm and muddying the water of real problems more than ever

[@digzero]

Great piece. I felt so seen when you started talking how the algo will feed you red pill nonsense regardless of how you negatively interact with it.

[@Drift0r]

You too?

[@digzero]

When interacting with YT shorts, they are in a rotation of "stuff you like, small channel, joe rogan/kevin o leary/whoever wannabe wealth influencer, stuff you like" It persistently feeds me AI narrated grindset and wealth channels.

[@chennis134]

As a high school teacher at a district that allows students to be on their phones whenever, many more students have gotten Fs in my classes this past school year than in previous years

[@codyriceandothers]

Back when I was in elementary school (around 2008-ish????), it was rare to see kids who struggled with reading basic words and sentences. My classmates' exposure to technology at a young age was mainly video games, which IMO aren't as brain-frying as social media nowadays. I'm seeing more and more kids getting angry because their iPad isn't in their hands during school, and more kids are struggling with basic literature skills. It's so crazy and scary to think that these kids, who have worse attention spans than me--someone with severe ADHD--are going to represent our future.

[@chennis134]

@@codyriceandothers that + AI/ChatGPT is going to create adults who don't know how to read and write. When I'm old, I hope that my doctor didn't skate through schooling by cheating

[@BULL3TMAN150]

Feeling like I belong somewhere has been lost to me I’ve been moved around a lot, whether that’s at my dads, mom’s grandmothers, a trailer twice, a strangers due to having a roommate is necessary these days. I always feel like the outsider no matter where I go these days. On top of that having to put up with everyone else problems too. All the more while having a father that keeps pushing me on a direction I don’t want to go. I find escapes where I can.

[@Copeharder00]

I don’t let my kids interact with social media, Outside of a few hours a day gaming one is in wrestling and the other is in football, they stay active and they read a ton as well.

[@mckinleyostvig7135]

My favorite Drift0r video in a while. I personally don't understand short form content. My brain thankfully just doesn't like engaging with really short form content. I guess I find it hard to get invested in something once I see a very short duration.

[@DevvyMETAL]

Been following you for years dude and I just wanted to take a moment to put you on a bit of a pedestal. Way to always put out an opinion clearly while being pleasant and diplomatic. I've been going through some family and (mental) health issues lately and I feel like many of them have been fueled by social media based opinions. If only more people were willing to face facts and admit that they are immersing themselves in the dystopia that is abundant and force fed short form algorithmically charged bullshit the world would truly be a better place. Thanks and I truly hope you get well soon. Keep up the good work brother.

[@Drift0r]

I wish you the best with your family problems. Sadly, the process of getting people off of social media is very hard and they have to want it themselves.

[@DevvyMETAL]

@@Drift0r such an unfortunate truth. Hopefully the day will come where the observations spoken about by level headed intelligent dudes like yourself are more widely accepted. Thanks so much for the sentiment! Didn't even expect you to respond with more than a thumbs up so it means a lot. Keep up the good work my guy!

[@artswar404]

I feel equally as stressed about this. I set a limit for Instagram through the Iphone settings but I can't do the same for KZbin because to destroy Shorts, I need to destroy the entire KZbin app. I really wish KZbin had a way to disable shorts because I feel horrible after spending an hour on it.

[@majestic91]

KZbin Revanced

[@ZiGABlaze]

Long time fan of your channel from the early Call of Duty in Depth videos. You are 1 of the few genuine creators I still watch. Keep it up 💜 much love.

[@Drift0r]

I appreciate that!

[@TSR1122]

Being familiar with young kids in crisis moments, The amount of kids who talk about coping mechanisms and scrolling TikTok being one of them is alarming. Having no other outlets or anything else they enjoy doing.

[@v13s_jalapeno]

Honestly the red pill thing became a part of me. And I never thought to link it up to the fact of “hey let’s go get this person hooked” the 2-3 people in that community I watch (which I’ve started watching less and less) it’s always been framed as KZbin constantly trying to take it down. But when you put it like that, it makes a lot more sense. Honestly makes me feel kinda mad.

[@k1ll0raffe]

being in my early 30's i have been consistently hooked on gaming, youtube, image boards and social media (sometimes more sometimes less). i can really feel the impact this stuff has on me. additionally i had my fair share with alcohol, nicotine and other substances so i can directly compare the effect of digital addiction to more "common" addictions. the last addicitions standing strong are digital and nicotine. nicotine will be next on the list but damn am i afraid of getting off gaming and youtube which feels kinda impossible. but i feel it constantly killing my drive, my motivation and my discipline. it makes so many things in my life incredibly hard and the urge just not to do the thing i could and should be doing because my dopamine-addicted brain pushes me into the next youtube- or gaming-binge is extremely frustrating. whats so scary about this: i am able to read a full book, i can watch your 30 minute video... can't imagine the challenge for genaration tiktok to sucessfully master their life and be happy in a healthy way...

[@JWEAVWUZHERE]

I had to delete Facebook off my phone temporarily because I was so addicted to these. It’s insane how addictive these stupid short videos are.

[@anthonypolise4512]

I think most of us understand how bad consuming content like this is but also can’t stop. It’s like smoking

[@42ZaphodB42]

Its so stupid. But I cant stop. It's like scrolling. Your brain is satisfied for one minute, but forgets it instantly. In the long run, you don't get any value. It's really like taking drugs.

[@Sander12348]

@@42ZaphodB42I wanna quit too now

[@MrWumbologi]

Watching driftor for about a decade now, still straight bangers

[@ATX-Hi8]

Dude your Harrison Bergeron comparison was eerily accurate!!

[@rossvegas7]

100% agree with you mate. Come back to cod though please I'm 43 and slow now,need those in depth videos to give me the edge.

[@frozenflames5263]

Thanks for this Drift0r! This video stimulated my brain’s pleasure centre in just the right way. And thank you for always trying to do what is best, not what is expedient. You mentioned being “better” than your competitors in the social media sphere. I for one, as a viewer, appreciate the respect and decency that you show to your audience. The fact you’re willing to treat us like rational, mature people who are capable of thinking for ourselves really puts you head-and-shoulders above other creators and “influencers” who cultivate audiences and followings for the sake of their own egos or bank balances. Keep fighting the good fight, Brad. We’re in your corner!

[@Drift0r]

Thank you. I may not always be the best, but I will always try to be better than I was yesterday

[@zuffin1864]

the mass tracking and infinite content loop is the issue for sure. hacking my brain's reward center for sure

[@andreidmny]

This has been extremely relatable to me, I am definitely another 'alien' in regards to the way I consume content and I question information whenever I'm checking the news. I'm afraid that at this point it's too late to revert societal habits, but I think that it's important to be aware of the way the Internet as we currently know it works. Great video!

[@jamron247]

Damn good video Driftor. I’ve been thinking about this lately. Yep time to unplug from tik tok. This stuff is really happening right now.

[@miseryparty3726]

I’m 21 and i think this age of social media is absolutely terrible. Social media’s early days were better.

[@skye_music]

Also 21 and I agree with you.

[@Basilisk2077]

I'm 25 and I agree. It's only going to get worse to the point where there is an advanced AI specifically tuned by your interests to drip-feed you dopamine. We're going full speed toward an inescapable hypnosis that is going to ruin everyone.

[@donairsauce2496]

i'm 22 and 100% our only hope is that our kids do what every generation does and rebels from the stuff we think is cool is whack

[@Diggi1027]

I am 37 and I was your age when I started seeing people get addicted to my space in 2004-2005 just before Facebook took off. With that being said I seen the biggest change in our society with the rise of online dating in the mid 2010's. Most would say they saw the change around 2014-2015.

[@miseryparty3726]

@@Diggi1027 One thing is being glued to computer screen…today it’s psychographics frying your brain every 30 seconds. People my age can’t even enjoy a 5 minute Smashing Pumpkins song anymore.

[@nimyeg]

Phenomenal video. Refreshing to see an individualistic take these days. You’re a good soul

[@pockitsune6347]

I don't see the individualistic angle on this, unless you just mean the take is unique which is different.

[@samneibauer4241]

Even if there was an individualistic angle to his take, why would that be a good thing? This is a big issue, and it'll take more than bootstraps to get out of. Though, I do assume you meant to call it unique.

[@yoshiboy777]

Social Media is a blessing and a curse. More so a curse with how its all going. It really is mad to see how young adults and children are. I worry for our future. I am so glad i grew up outside. Yes i grew up with tech but im rarely on social media. Bit of a hermit if you will. But being on the outside looking in it does worry me. But the corps dont care as long as the money is rolling. Stay safe out there

[@ImGr3gg]

Could you go more in depth about the privacy aspect? I recently stopped consuming this form of media not too long ago and I was aware these issues existed but never really understood them.

[@CHEEZEyCHEEZE]

I don't read or watch some of the longer form content because there is so much to consume I feel I don't have time unless I am really interested in that topic. But I agree with your video. I should and what I will do is two different things.

[@EndGameEnt]

Dude, I totally see what you mean about the Harrison Bergeron reference. Our society is headed straight for that world!

[@DOUGLIFEog]

After hearing you talk about all of it, I start to notice that yes that's exactly how it reeled me in. Definitely an eye opener.

[@Kevlashnikov]

I just deleted all my social media accounts. Because I sat there doom scrolling. And I just became self aware that I was opening the for literally no reason other than to scroll.

[@pst291]

Noone can concentrate for longer than a minute , heres a 29 minute video .lol. Good to see you again Driftor you havent shown up in my feed for a long time , hope your well dude

[@dominicfenix2201]

This is the way Drift0r, thank you for doing what you do, I wish you all the best and I hope you keep making these kind of videos, they are great :J

[@Drift0r]

More to come!

[@timmy6538]

I've been watching for 10 years now! Crazy to say lol. And even was featured on one of your cod videos (the cold war beta) I've always respected your opinion and how you try to convey it without any biases or politics. Or atleast siding with either political groups. I definitely was off of the Tik Tok train, never even downloaded it (I'll be a boomer with you lol) but I have definitely watched facebook, instagram and KZbin Shorts and made a couple of gaming shorts on the later. I will now try to make an effort not to watch them as i agree that it is very unbeneficial. Thank you drift0r!

[@jerrydavid5834]

Im 26 and I can’t stand tikto deleted it after a week

[@letsdosomething806]

Totally agree with everything you said driftor. One thing that I have noticed about youtube shorts and tiktok is that after a couple hours I just kinda feel empty inside. Idk just an observation.

[@GhilliedWDB]

19:17 It's because it's reached a boiling point and this is the time where Americans stand up for what's right or we lose our country forever

[@jacksonmatysik8007]

I have a roster of centrist informational youtubers I watch (Driftor is one of them) and sometimes I watch content of the extreme left and extreme right to gain perspective. This guards me relatively well from polarisation and bias, although it's impossible to be truely objective.

[@Drift0r]

Very good plan

[@kiranearitachi]

When I find myself sitting on shorts for more than like 10 minutes I'm like I need to get out if here or I'm going to waste all day shits bad

[@a.block.of.tofu.]

This is a big issue even with my 30 year old friends. When they find out I dont have tiktok they just make old jokes even though we're the same age. You can tell it's just rotting brains.

[@AJ-pc9gu]

I definitely share the concern but I am still a little unconvinced. I haven't yet seen longitudinal studies that deal with what the effects are exactly. I'm just far more worried about other things that feel more real to me but if someone has some information to share then I'll be happy to research it.

[@Pinger_0]

thank you for talking about this, there needs to be more awareness for this

[@Carny1]

great video, it's sad i had to keep fighting the urge to go onto Twitter (i mean X) while watching. The short form stuff is straight poison

[@AmyRoseWasHere]

You literally put into words the exact feelings I have about these apps, the most concerning for me is those double screen videos. I see jokes about it being for low attention spans, but this trend is legitimately having a horrible impact on humanity

[@all-caps3927]

I really appreciate this type of content, even if initially TikTok users don't delete the app instantly - at least making them aware of the evils is incredibly important and will rub off on them eventually. Thank God, truly, I never downloaded TikTok in the first place and saw it for the cancer it was and still is early on - however I still have an unhealthy amount of time on my phone per day. Looks like a digital detox is needed for sure. However one thing that would be really interesting given the topic of the video is you posting the engagement this video got, being a 27 minutes video and seeing how long the average person watched for before clicking off.

[@ItsQualitycontent]

As far as identity i am fully backwards. I crave being invisable. visting friends too much or living with a single person causes my depression to skyrocket

[@johnniewalker6365]

Good thing I was raised on Drift0r philosophy vids and epic dreams instead of short form video content

[@DolphinDivingChamp]

Not choosing what pops up in my feed is a huge turn off for me, I spent a couple hours on tiktok years ago before deleting it and never went back

[@PhilipHayward]

From my experience in HS lots of my peers would admit to social media being the bane of our generation, and of those after us. But nobody will admit it when push comes to shove, or do anything about it(I do the same thing, but the more it’s talked about the more relevant it will become).

[@Azyndevil5]

I love this topic. My wife sees no harm in tiktok and apps taking data. I mite show her this video to see if it changes her mind on it

[@Tynal]

Having watched the whole video now, I believe this is a video that deserves a lot more attention. Such a good video.

[@Whalester]

tiktok uninstalled! But also I've noticed I see these patterns in how I binge KZbin every day in longer form content. My brain does not like, not having KZbin. I'm watching this while I do school work. I can't remember the last time I ate food alone without watching youtube!

[@TylerAndToast]

Not only does it prevent compromising, but just being respectful or being able to see another side period, or having a civil discussion. Its very polarizing

[@Constantean21]

I love these informational videos you do. Looking forward to the next one.

[@jcdelgado1202]

Swiftor, thank you for making this video. I’ve known about the dangers of social media, but this is a much needed reminder of just how detrimental it really is. Most people understand that social media and short form content is inherently harmful. The struggle, though, is with making an effort to stop succumbing to the dopamine that it provides. This was a much needed video.

[@TheHaskoDood]

I absolutely agree. I have refused to download TikTok, and it's upsetting how even some elderly people I know are hopelessly hooked on the app.

[@dustinduzgames1276]

I think its better that an elderly person is on it they already lived their productive part of life they might as well enjoy whats left of it

[@ThatGuyLarson]

You should do sit down interviews with specialists. You really do ask the right questions and try to understand the big picture. Much appreciate your commitment to yourself.

[@andresnunez576]

As a substitute teacher about to teach full time in a week I definitely see many of the negative points you made. It's truly an addiction to them now. I subbed for one school where the students literally broke the phone locker so teachers could not enforce no phone policy. It truly is tragic as I feel many teachers are giving up on the slow learner students.

[@procprime]

Ye my mother is one of those people who just scrolls for hours. Only a few years ago she wouldn't dare touch anything online and now it seems hard to get her off it.

[@pinobluevogel6458]

Thanks for posting this long form content video about an often underrated subject. I think you did a great job explaining your views and what is important to realize about social media in general and short form content in particular. I typed down a bunch of things I wanted to respond to from your video. It ended up being quite a bit, so sorry beforehand for being lengthy with it. Personally I try to avoid shorts like the plague. I was aware of their negative effects on our minds, but it was also out of principle. As I consciously only use a computer to watch KZbin and don't have TikTok or Instagram, the only thing I am regulary confronted with is KZbin shorts. Being a smaller (often lower quality) screen which almost never contains any real meaningful content makes it easier to ignore. But I have to be honest here, they somehow do seem to have better strings to pull me in with the thumbnails and titles shown. The algorhythm used is noticably far superior to the ones showing the other (normal) youtube content. I get almost annoyed by some of the crap the normal algorhythm tries to shove into my face, as it is a waste of my time to even suggest I would watch it. I realize though, how far in the rabbit hole I already am, to use so much of the suggested content, even though this is consisting of (nearly almost all) subscribed channels for the most part. For some reason what you said about Jordan Peterson felt really off, in that you deliberately tried to avoid his videos. He often offers videos with genuine insight, or real science, or at the very least something to think about, regardless of if you agree with him or not. Some of it boring and I don't think he is a great speaker and I'm also pretty sure his intentions for posting videos and making content are also motivated by money. But in the end the effect most of his philosophy has (like taking responsibility in life) is good for people. If you're trying to be a good guy by posting videos that help or inform people, avoiding JP is not something you should do out of hand. He is not hateful, like a small but very loud vocal minority tries to tell you. He is pragmatic, based in science and real. At the very least you can listen and disagree, which I often enough do with stuff I watch. Some of this goes for the MGTow movement as well. It is (for the most part) not a hateful movement. As far as I know, It is just a collection of jaded, often cynical guys, that have suffered great harm by trusting the wrong women. They consciously choose to not commit to women as a whole as a result, to protect themselves or because they have grown tired of it. They often turn even more red (or black) pilled by the content they follow, which doesn't help either. The reason for their choices though, is always rooted in real life issues and only worsened by social media and echo chambers, not the other way around. It is a very sad thing they even exist, but seeing them as a hateful group as a whole I think is wrong. That would be the same saying all feminists are bad, which is not the case. Only the ones actively hating men and trying to impose bad masculine qualities onto women are wrong. (or evil if you will) They actively hurt women's rights by overshouting the actual positive feminists, or giving feminism a bad name because of their bad behaviour. I could go into a theory that the social media platforms are delibrately used to weaken the minds of unsuspecting humans (and often children), to make them easier to control, but that is a dark subject and I think I've covered enough negative stuff already. As a positive note, I think you could be mistaken that almost nobody is aware of the effects of social media, or does anything to reduce using or getting addicted to it. In my personal life, everyone I know is at least aware of it and most of them consciously try to avoid or limit it to some extent. Some of my friends, they hold eachother accountable if they're on their phones, actively mocking the ones that do. Personally, I don't even use a smartphone outside of what I need for my job; an app for my work rosters and maybe an alarm if I boil an egg and that's about it. Having the luxury to walk away from your computer and never being constantly connected is a blessing and it makes it far easier to control any habit you have, like making superlong youtube comments, which is my own problem :) That's why the slacktivism remark hit home, I might think I'm doing people a favor by posting these, but the reality is probably much less so. Thanks again for posting. You should probably make a short form content movie about not watching short form content movies!

[@Drift0r]

I'll explain more about why I avoid JP and others in a different video with a topic that fits it better. In short, I almost exclusively read political stuff instead of watching it becuase I can control the flow of info and research better that way.

[@pinobluevogel6458]

@@Drift0r Fair point, I'm looking forward to that video. As someone that is very accepting to all kinds of viewpoints, it is hard for me to understand actual censorship, even if it is selfcensorship. In the spirit of: you need to at least try and understand something before you can judge it. But you are ofcourse perfectly justified and valid in choosing your own path in that regard. I tend to listen to podcasts more than anything, it is a slower form of info/enter-tainment somewhere between reading and watching videos. The fact that you combine listening with travel time (which is essentially downtime) is a huge bonus. Especially on a train, where you can still enjoy the view of the countryside, while listening to something interesting, it feels like an effective use of my time.

[@NinjaGeek]

I’ve never been a fan of scrolling short form content even before watching this video. I’ve always had the mindset that scrolling for an indefinite amount of time is negative for the brain. Occasionally I watch a video or 2 that a friend sends me but I myself don’t scroll. Plus now after having watched this video I’m less inclined to even open the app because of the whole Dopamine section. I suffer from depression and I’m currently on medication for it, I’ve been on medication for years now. One thing not touched upon in this video is how do people who suffer from not getting enough dopamine react to short form scrolling content? We’ve all been there where the algorithm shows us something we hate to the very next video being something we love. But even for me that doesn’t trigger enough of a dopamine rush to get me to scroll. In fact it kind of does the opposite effect and I just get bored and leave the app. That was before I realized scrolling content is negative and I don’t do it anymore. But I also have to say that before the shorts and tik tok, social media itself was the “new” thing where people would scroll on twitter or facebook for an indefinite amount of time. Now that there’s more content, more places to watch, more algorithms, and this generation learning that life is about all these things, I don’t really see it getting any better. We can all get a big group to identify the fact that scrolling is negatively impacting our brain and society as a whole, but people are still going to do it, and it’s probably going to get worse until who knows when the next big form of content comes out and people migrate to do that. Excellent video!

[@robg7430]

This is why I've always preached anything in moderation (except hard drugs). The problem is, if that isn't hammered into you at a young age, it is very hard to develop that discipline. I grew up being addicted to video games. Not as bad as being addicted to social media imo but it was harmful on my brain and i didn't pull myself out of that until I was in my mid 20s. I can't imagine how much harder it is with social media. This targeting of peoples minds for economic gain really needs to stop. People need to start just being with themselves. I'm afraid we're already too far gone unfortunately.

[@Grunge_Cycling]

I'm Chinese and I've never used Tik Tok, nor will I in the future. However, I've tried YT and Instagram shorts lately and I agree, it's more addictive and mentally depressing than anything I've ever tried.

[@chennis134]

I tried Tik Tok last year. I deleted my account when it made reading words online or in my newspaper afterward more difficult

[@JuanTorres-pj3fq]

Hey man I’ve been watching you’re content since mw 2019. I just wanna say I love you and you’re content!

[@kevinmenard6792]

A minute in and trust me brad there’s plenty of people in the younger generation that see the flaws and problems with scrolling content. Subliminal marketing has never been more utilized and so effective than the current times, when people think they can’t be advertised to if they aren’t paying attention , which is the whole point.

[@Sauce7287]

This helped me stop watching KZbin shorts, besides my subscribed section. Put into words the things I feel when watching

[@ShawnGoodisonProductions]

Everything you outlined and mentioned in this video is the sole reason I stay away from Tiktok, KZbin Shorts (I create shorts, but don't watch them), but mainly Tiktok. As many KZbinrs have covered the topic and concern over Tiktok and the content creators on there and what its purpose is for, I'll be a "Boomer" alongside you and concur that short form content has affected others around me. I'm not someone who grew up watching what's available to us today, but while I do have ADHD, my dopamine comes from what I do and not what I watch on social media. For instance, your video; depending what impressions and purpose a KZbin Content Creator does (for you example: I first came across your "In Depth" videos back in 2011, but you've also merged Philosophical content as well that fit the flow among your CoD videos that felt seamless and easy to transition into.) if he or she can do multiple things while keeping it interesting and entertaining, then it's a Win/Win for the Creator and the Viewer. It's very unfortunate that the new generation will be greatly affected by this b/c parents seem to get irritated/ short attention span/ or just straight up don't want to deal with their young ones, so they resort to making them watch this stuff online. If being a Boomer means not being affected by this, then so be it! I don't feel the need to share every inch of my life story so everyone knows what I'm up to every second of every day. It's almost like being my own worst paparazzi.

[@Drift0r]

I didn't even think about how this would affect young parents!

[@captainbingbong2741]

Well said. You share some good points. I do think in careful moderation short form content can be good entertainment and even educational, but yes I do agree these points. I also think it is having some very negative impacts on modern day society. I think unfortunately we are in a point of AI inovation where the tools (like algorythms) are still being made an optimized and we are not at the point yet where ethics are considered in their development. I hope in the future there will be more discussions around the impact of short form content and the ethics around it. anywho, I see you in your next video! have a good one

[@Leisurous]

this video felt like it shook me awake out of a social media lul. Thanks man

[@chennis134]

I feel like even on r/tennis on Reddit, it feels like an echo chamber. Most people have similar opinions about the various professional tennis players

[@spedboi9213]

So happy we all have a new drift0r commentary to listen to, glad you’re back

[@BreezeTalk]

The whole phone spies on us... it's called a sensing device. But it's okay with me because I can't change it. I will always remain conscious to it and the possibility to change this.

[@L7Fx]

I do the same exact thing. I have to tell myselft to never click on the shorts on youtube or else I’ll be sucked into it like 2 hours

[@sarahlynn9270]

He’s completely right. Thank you for the warning and truth. 🙏🏼

[@MrDieselfrost]

Can we not be required to constantly have our phones on us? When I was younger I managed to be out all day and night with no cellphone. We need to treat them as a tool and not a damn appendage..

[@Atlisnail]

You just put my daily thoughts to words. I feel like an alien and I think it’s because I don’t participate in brainrot like this. The way you think is healthy, you’re a smart man.

[@ghostfacegg]

100% agree been saying all this forever. Short videos are cancer for your attention span. I never watch any of them on any platform.

[@PlanetSadala]

Bro I cant read my textbook without the text to speak and watching soccer on mute😭😭😭. I deleted all my socials like a year ago but then I felt like I was just wasting time, just sitting there. I would be sitting on the toilet thinking about how bored I was.

[@VaneWalker]

One concept I keep thinking about is how my generation and I will be the last witnesses and participants of regular human social interaction before the social media devolution. For hundreds of millennia, you had no choice but to engage with and value the interactions of the people around you and the physical spaces you and others occupy. But now, life for more and more people is comprised of staring at a screen, ordering online and interacting with the projections of individuals than the authenticity of engaging with someone in a real physical environment. We may see the children of today grow to become socially incompatible with their parents and grandparents.