Should We Be Afraid of TikTok?

[@WisecrackEDU]

Offset your carbon footprint on Wren: www.wren.co/start/wisecrack The first 100 people who sign up will have 10 extra trees planted in their name!

[@caleb4870]

This ain't it. I don't like this sponsor because it feels like they are in the business of offloading the responsibility of climate change on to the shoulders of individuals, not the corporations who hold the power to change things.

[@theantonlulz]

Cool, I'll calculate my carbon footprint while Nestle and co. continue to pollute the shit out of our environment. I'm all for environmental awareness, but please don't buy into the carbon footprint horseshit. Edit: for anyone interested in learning more kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3ucfYKnnr2Xpqc&ab_channel=ClimateTown

[@flyingpeter]

where is helen?

[@AlexandreLMB]

Really disapointing seeing you guys taking a Carbon Footprint calculator company as a advert for this channel. You of all people should know that Carbon Footprint is complete and total bullshit invented by BP to set the blame on the consumer.

[@jesiharpercardosa8144]

@@caleb4870 I mean…why can’t it be both? Or rather, since we’re not holding these corporations accountable *yet*…why shouldn’t we as individuals try to do whatever we can to help that along? I mean it’s gotta be a collective effort at this point anyways, and continuing to do nothing whatsoever bc there’s *so much work to be done* and others *could and should* be helping to chip away at that work. There are needs still going unmet in the interim while the corporations still “wait” to be compelled to get off their asses and help clean their mess.

[@HimboVegan]

I have severe ADHD and definitely find the less I use tech the better my attention span has gotten. Thankfully I never got tik tok because I knew it would be bad for me. Now I have a light phone 2 that only calls and texts and built a safe for my laptop and smart phone with a timer padlock on it. So I can completely unplug for a good chunk of my day. The difference is astounding.

[@SD-tj5dh]

@@FelixBat iys taken me years to finally get diagnosed but it's still going to be more than before i'm able to get my meds for it.

[@blainn7788]

mad respect. once monkey reverts to dumb phone, he will never go back.

[@ghintz2156]

I don't have ADHD and technology has screwed my focus as well. This stuff is horrible for us.

[@mariofeared]

I also have severe ADHD and have the same ideas when it comes to tiktok, social media and smartphones. Unfortunately, my work needs me to use a smartphone. But technology is a double edged sword and you can use it to help. For instance, I installed a home screen on my phone that is similar to the light phone's UI. I also have custom IFTTT triggers that help me organize my life by integrating with other apps. If I create a task on my phone, it syncs with a Trello board and adds the event to my calendar. I disabled most notifications was well. That way, I get notified only about important things that I actually need to do and remember. It even works with the assistant. Which makes adding such tasks easier.

[@Jaysin412]

No ADD/ADHD here, but holy hell has social media and technology severely impacted my attention. I impose my own time limits for watching youtube or researching topics online, (not reddit) lol. But like I said, I rarely use social media these days, other than my comments on KZbin.

[@JovialJewels]

I am a psychologist and I will say in my experience working with teens and young adults, TikTok is not the cause of anxiety or depression but from my experience with clients it does prevent people from engaging in behaviours that help them break out of anxiety and depression. One of the most consistent treatment goals I hear is that people want to reduce their use of social media and increase the amount of time they spend on more rewarding behaviours like going for walks, spending time with friends, and engaging in hobbies.

[@Nostripe361]

I always thought that these people didn’t get this way because of social media but social media allows you to receive media that aggravates the condition much faster than older media like tv and magizines

[@rudytabooty8640]

Ayo Im starting my grad thesis this year and I’m looking into something similar as far as contributing behaviors. It’s really fascinating to see some of the preliminary results of social media and the internet on generations that were introduced to it in late adolescence compared to early childhood like many children today. It’s scary stuff

[@saturationstation1446]

staring at phones while barely moving for hours days months years... will literally disable your ability to have coordination. you wont be able to do things toddlers can easily do because you spend all your focus on an object thats less than two feet away from your face. it completely destroys spatial awareness and the capacity to have normal sensory input register in your brain. how many gen z have you seen completely ignore someone who is right in front of them, talking at a high volume to them?. i can think of a minimum of one thousand times when i've witnessed this

[@saturationstation1446]

not to mention it inspires fakeness and dishonesty and lots of other negative things. never seen someone start using tik tok and suddenly start behaving more maturely or being more productive. it turns people into fuckin vegetables

[@JovialJewels]

​@@FelixBat The causes vary a lot, and I don't think there is just one thing that is primarily causing depression and anxiety. If you want some of the most consistent predictors in general they would include things like poverty, high stress from work or school, recent loss (job, death of close family member), a lack of positive coping skills (down time, role models), social isolation, and having experienced abuse.

[@lifeguardpanda]

Personally, I installed the app for a while and don't get me wrong you can fall hours down a rabbit hole that allows the viewer to be constantly entertained like your on some drug but to me it eventually made me realize that it's really mind numbing. You go on it and basically your mind spaces out, while you are trying to enjoy something. That can't be healthy for anyone. It also noticably decreased the attention span of me, which I was not so keen on. So I deleted it and haven't looked back

[@lucianowillemse8244]

What is entertaining on TokTik. It cancer. Visual verbal diarrhea.

[@JustL92]

@@lucianowillemse8244 Or you give the algorithm time to adjust your for you page so it is actually made for you. If you still only get idiotic content, I have to say, it isn't TikToks fault. If you start getting helpful work tips, mental health advice, stuff about your k!nks and all that there is a lot more than "visual verbal diarrhea" and @Conor W. you don't space out anymore because you are interested in the stuff that you get shown. Now I watch 3 minute videos about history and how the involvement of PoC was not taught in school even there are all the evidences that they had a huge influence. While sitting on the toilet. That's a damn long attention span while going for a leak...

[@marylee1278]

it's the same for me. i uninstall it awhile back and still catch myself itching to scroll and just "make the time go faster", really.

[@nickmagrick7702]

good for you, non sarcastically

[@spiguy]

Social media is more healthy when used purposefully (looking for specifics) rather than mechanically (letting the algorithm take you wherever).

[@Danny_Cruz]

I'm tired of comparisons between books and social media as a way of saying, "hey, 100 years ago people were afraid of new tech too, so there's no need for concern". I don't believe that the conclusion drawn from that comparison is fair, for a few reasons. TikTok is not a new medium of tech, it's a media. To compare books to tiktok is like comparing books to, not tv, but mtv.

[@Handle70770]

Sadly I disagree, books are a form of media and therefore a comparable form. And peoples hysteria over something new and different is still historically accurate. Just because you’re tired of certain comparisons doesn’t mean that they will cease to exist.

[@DaganKay]

Replace "tik tok" with "short videos" and I think the comparison still fits

[@Madanth0ny]

When you read books it’s taken imagination to comprehend the words in your head …tik tok is mindless bullshit .

[@Madanth0ny]

@@Handle70770 new technology is not always good technology.

[@rul787]

Media is plural for medium, but you are onto something with the mtv simile

[@DPtdryste]

I’m not an expert or anything but it seems intuitive to me that fast-twitch, easy, addicting activities train your brain reward centers to continue seeking other activities that do this for the brain. As such, while it does not “kill your brain,” surely TikTok works against activities like meditation, reading, long-term thinking & other stuff like that which would probably give us a better world.

[@holoceph3916]

Its like Spark-notes brain. The facade of knowing something in depth without knowing anything at all.

[@tylermacdonald8924]

These social medias may not cause depression or anxiety but they can certainly function as an electronic pacifier which disables people from effectively confronting what is causing those negative emotions.

[@brioche496]

Shit take. Sure on some cases those with mental illness avoid the problem rather than to seek help. However they would be prone to do that whether or not social media platforms existed LMAO. Social media is simply an enabler of bad habits, like clearly was said in the fucking video if you watched it. Get real dude.

[@nickmagrick7702]

I disagree. They directly cause depression, certainly anxiety and theres no question about that one. Pacifying people is part of why it causes that anxiety, just like over using drugs to push away uncomfortable feelings. By making it so people are always on a "high", they get used to not dealing with negative emotions and so they just keep building and building over time. Because we have no coping mechanisms other than pushing our feelings down to deal with them, people start to go crazy when they are confronted with the inevitable.

[@dvolsung1527]

Honestly I think the real detriment to society was when people discovered you can become wealthy and famous using social media. Too many people wanted to emulate that to the point that "influencer" is a thing kids want to be when they grow up. Tik Tok, with it's super short format kind of creates a short cut. So you have more people trying and failing to be these rock stars of the social media environment. Mix that with a society that struggles with identity and mental health and you have a receipt for failure imo. I don't think the platform is bad in itself and some studies bear that out. But, in the same way drugs can be good or bad depending on how they're used, I think the way social media and Tik ToK in particular (with its targeted algo ) is used now does more harm than good for society as a whole.

[@19ars92]

internet itself its a double edge sword it can make you the best you can be or it could destroy you psychologically. forget about social media I remember many messed up websites back in the day where your curiosity always got the better of you, and then you become addicted to watching more crazy things on the dark web because normality doesn't satisfy you anymore.

[@TheInevitableHulk]

3:38 If you remember back when, before KZbin changed the algorithm to prefer time watched over views, short form content like on tiktok used to thrive on KZbin. Major differences being videos are filmed and watched almost exclusively in portrait format for phones and that Tiktok manages community use of copyrighted materials automatically, where KZbin heavily discourages it.

[@carsonreid7133]

Yes. We need our attention spans back. For me at least, my life was going to shit without it. Wisecrack actually helped out with that quite a bit. From Jared's video on The Matrix I got psyched to read some Philosophy, and kept going from there. Reading and not being on the internet is an instrumental part of me reclaiming my attention span and my life as a whole.

[@thersten]

Boredom is good. It let's you know that you need to make a plan of action that benefits your life. The alternative is to let some company hijack your time and push you towards behavior that will benefit their bottom line; ie. buying their products or supporting their ad revenue stream.

[@na3rial]

This is the big ticket answer. As we evolve in society, we've developed this mentality that boredom is bad, bad feelings shouldn't exist, and all things that are negative should be eliminated. That's how dystopias are made. Bad things are signals for us that something needs to change. Bad things help us learn and grow.

[@DrPOP-jp7eb]

Boredom has been gone for 10 years already. That's not new with TikTok.

[@x77punk77x]

I’m Gen-X and was having an engaging discussion (about something like geopolitics/economics) with a smart Zoomer. Then he suddenly pulled up TikTok and it was like he was in an eerie cartoon-like mindless spell. Left as fast as I could, it was so creepy and upsetting to witness.

[@outaouaishockey]

Zoomer here, Tiktok is not a source!!!

[@drill9135]

Me and my friends checked our screen time one day and realised on average in a week we spend around 24 hours on TikTok meaning we literally have less days in the week the other people because of this app lmaooo

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Even I, someone who doesn’t have a brain can vouch for the fact that Tik Tok IS ruining your brain.

[@chickennuggets1837]

facts and you're ruining KZbin comments section

[@superduperjoi6800]

Oh no

[@allbyhmsf9878]

Why are you everywhere!?

[@1.4142]

The question is whether youtube comments are ruining my brain

[@lainiwakura1776]

You watch some based people who know what they're talking about too.

[@Books-and-coffee0]

I'm astonished there's people in the comment saying TikTok is the cure of boredom. For the love of God. Read a book, watch a movie, connect with friends, get creative. The idea that without TikTok and social media in general we'd be "bored" is beyond ridiculous.

[@bluetheredpanda]

I agree with the sentiment, but I think you’re disregarding the origin of this whole idea: the very notion that boredom is, inherently and of itself, bad, will lead you to consider it a problem and accept the lowest effort “solution”. And the fact is, while watching a movie, reading a book or doing pretty much ANYTHING else is entertaining and will alleviate boredom, it also demands some level of effort. Social media (and TikTok especially) were designed from the ground up to bombard you with new shiny things perpetually without you having to do the least bit of effort. People will happily go for that these days, no matter how passive and empty your mind becomes, because they prefer some sort of placid comfort over anything worth obtaining - it’s the same problem with instant gratification. Essentially, most humans are short-minded, easily conditioned lab rats.

[@grimjudgment6527]

@@bluetheredpanda Boredom is most definitely a bad thing, but I still agree that to a certain degree that TikTok is bad, no because it's a quick and nearly effortless solution but because it's just bombarding you with shiny stuff. However I think the issue is that it's *useless* shiny stuff. Let me explain each point a bit. First, boredom is an emotion you experience when you lack stimulation. Perpetual boredom is actually something that if I remember correctly from Psychology textbooks, is actually something that can hamper mental development in many ways. For example, there's been a case where a father and son were stranded on an island for many years and they slowly ober time lost the ability to actually communicate with their native tongue because they atopped speaking and instead just would kinda work together day in and day out and had very simple jobs they both assigned to each other and instead they made a simple pidgin language to communicate basic ideas because they didn't need to express a lot of complex ideas. This is also why long-term solitary confinement in prisons have actually been shown to actively reduce cognitive function in inmates. Boredom is actually the absolute worst enemy of mental development. This is also why Alzheimer's patients actually show reduced brain functionality if they aren't consistently stimulating their brain with puzzles every day. Now, to the informational bombardment. I will openly state this. I watch KZbin videos at double speed constantly. Because of this, I can consume double the content most people can in a day, but the value of that content matters a lot. So for example, I can smash through a bunch of videos about writing advice, tabletop game design, and even spend hours listening to people who write video essays on game or politics. I do however sometimes space it out with the occasional wacky TF2 video where someone puts 10x weapons in a tier list, or I quickly watch a video where someone tries to figure out how weight gain and loss happens in Zomboid. Point is though, my attention span hasn't decreased whatsoever because I can and will watch content in 1x speed often too. Now, for the effort part, I have to say that this is still disagreeable. Let's consider how I work and how my coworker works at Home Depot. She and I work garden as cashiers. She uses her phone to watch TikTok on her downtime because we're jot allowed to do very much. I however pace around my post idly singing sea shanties and work songs while using a collapsible grabber to pickup trash. What I'm doing is effectively mindless for me. It's something I do on autopilot, just like cleaning the air filters for the tollbooth air conditioner. However, because it's actually something worthwhile to do, (the walking building lower body strength along with minor cardio, the grabber for hand eye coordination and singing to build up breathing techniques and helping to improve speaking through practicing enunciation) it's actually not going to have a detrimental effect on my psyche. So I'd argue that the reason why TikTok is so bad is because it's all of those negative things wrapped into one and that if it had one redeeming quality, then it'd actually be valuable. The trick is that TikTok does have valuable content on it. However, it's hidden behind all the garbage. Kinda like how if you don't login to KZbin, you automatically get garbage in your feed and everyone here that has had a KZbin account for 10+ years is blessed by having an algorithm that's been able to slowly tailor itself to your interests for over ten years rather than you newly coming into KZbin getting fed garbage. This is why it's more important than ever for us to guide our younger peers to seek out enrichment rather than to browbeat them for taking what's in front of them, because we could've been just like them if we grew up with exactly what they did.

[@irrevenant3]

@@grimjudgment6527 I would add a caveat to your comment. Yes, long-term boredom is harmful. Shorter term boredom where you just gaze into space and let your mind wander for a bit is mostly beneficial. This is the state where our mind consolidates experiences and comes up with creative insights. It's not just beneficial for what you do incidentally (cardio etc.) it's mentally beneficial in and of itself.

[@davidanalyst671]

people in 2022 are assholes and don't want to talk to others. I can give you my family's phone number if you want to talk to some real psychos.

[@theNicholas1117]

Lol but veritasium said boredom is good for you kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnyzqH58nsx5brc

[@loadblown2581]

Studies have shown that youth using technology (usage not regulated) like social media amongst teenagers has massive executive dysfunction. Among those tests… by far the most interesting experiment, was that they gave each teenager a basket of laundry with their phone in the room. Teens with no regulation did not finish the task… when asked why , they thought it immensely pressuring, too tedious , or unimportant. The results were 100% slighted to those unregulated. Admittedly this isn’t exact locked in science but bizarrely accurate within my home. Adult and children alike. Many years prior that same university found that reading literature for personal entertainment actual treated ADHD and focus. It even raised their problem solving ability after a long term, aptitude appropriate, reading regiment. Self diagnosis is also on the rise due to social media. I see many comments with people claiming, or assume they have ADHD or seek social or professional affirmation. ADHD is very difficult to diagnose and takes professional and nuanced personal scrutiny. It is easier to identify in child due to the education system often having professionals to oversight and identify but in adulthood it often is layered with depression or dare I say, affluenza. Therapist and psychiatrist have to focus on depression as it is a more imminent adult issue. The correlation between Tik-Tok and depression were well displayed as possible non-affiliate and more of a byproduct of greater intrinsic personal issue. I think they should tackle this subject again as it has many forks and each are worth exploring. Good luck out there!

[@J2961-v4q]

Well saiid, love the affluenza part lol.

[@avidrucker]

Any sources to said studies?

[@CleverNameTBD]

That offsetting your carbon footprint stuff always made me uneasy. It makes some people who can but don't lessen their footprint feel like less of a jerk by throwing money at the problem. But also it's kinda shitty bc it's putting the onus on the individual instead of the major corporations, governments and refineries that do that vast majority of the damage

[@tofu_whisperer3325]

Yeah, this carbon footprint offset stuff seems like a scam Wisecrack should be debunking, not promoting.

[@YouTubeGetsWorseEveryUpdate]

Yes, exactly. The carbon footprint is a BP marketing spin which offsets the action from the big polluters to use as consumers while they (with a not so gently push by every government) should take some action. I agree with Tofu above and think it’s unfortunate that Wisecrack get this as a sponsor.

[@brianstevens3858]

I agree, but even baby steps taken in the right direction are how we have to get there, even if we break our shoe in the process.

[@CleverNameTBD]

@@brianstevens3858 oh I ain't saying everyone shouldn't be doing their part. But we also gotta be realistic and call a spade a spade on this lol

[@brianstevens3858]

@@CleverNameTBD I didn't think you even intimated that, merely saying that a step no matter how small or faulty in the right direction is better than no stepping at all.

[@dccopa13]

Absolutely yes, people can't concentrate anymore

[@Puerco-Potter]

Absolutely yes, people can't conce... I am hungry... Wanna go out for a walk?

[@Gfish17]

@@Puerco-Potter are you saying everyone had perfect concentration before?

[@andrebrown8969]

@@Puerco-Potter Funny

[@Gfish17]

@@FelixBat No crime? Everyone was smarter...?, Umm I'm going to assume you are being sarcastic.

[@Gfish17]

@@FelixBat I'm a type of reactionary.

[@craigbeare9770]

Nice of you to assume I still have a brain left

[@Rampala]

I think it's a personal decision when it comes to social media. For my ADHD brain I found TikTok intolerable--that is, I couldn't tolerate being a regular user because of how much of my time it was siphoning away. Same reason I don't play much Skyrim these days: I love it, but who has 3 hours to spare on a video game (or watching short videos)? I also found I just didn't feel well physically after getting off these TikTok binges. I felt mentally sluggish and my general forgetfulness got worse. Maybe a neurotypical brain can handle going on TikTok for 30 minutes, but mine can't have just a little.

[@scroopynoopers.]

needed this today. you guys are truly the real mvps.

[@schtuff.8207]

Tiktok makes me want to actually hurt myself. I finally uninstalled it today. Don't gaslight me and tell me its the same kind of fear and nonsense that was going on in the 80's around rap and rock.

[@lucianowillemse8244]

Tiktok is cancer plus it was created by an oppressive regime (speaking specifically about BitBytes that own Tiktok)

[@rexrip1080]

I agree with that one, this was not a well researched video...

[@nerds-nonsense]

You're not being "gaslit", (that's not even the correct usage of that word) I guarantee tiktok didn't give you a mental illness which is what most of the fear-mongering claims/insinuates. It makes you want to hurt yourself but there are millions of other people with the exact opposite experience which is the point of doing research and studies.

[@nerds-nonsense]

@@rexrip1080 because the research is different from your opinion or personal experience it's not well researched? there's no scientific consensus on whether social media is overall good or bad and this video clearly communicated that.

[@rexrip1080]

@@nerds-nonsense I am not talking about that part. It was more to do with data collection and corrupting the people by introducing the wrong social norms, after all, the easiest way to destroy a civilization is by destroying its traditions and culture. Outside from that, there are still known sexual predators on the app that hold some of the higher positions and have a bunch of followers. As for my personal experience, i find it to be a waste of time but i generally maybe spend around a half of hour a day on social media so i may not be the best representation for a TikToks user... As for the mental influences there is always that need for instant gratification...

[@SV-og2rq]

This is anecdotal, but Tiktok's algorithm is not that good. What seems to be going on here is an algorithm that tries to accomplish two tasks, one is to record your interests and interactions then create add content that matches, the second part is pushing popular content into the feed. These two functions conflict and create a stream of disjointed content. The major issue from my experience, is that regardless of what I do to change my feed the content goes back to a set few topics that don't reflect my liked content. Based on my interaction with the app, the algorithm seems to have a lot of problems and people give it more credit than it deserves. Also yes, it's been confirmed that both the Chinese and US governments are collecting date on the apps users. Lastly, I argue Tiktok isn't a social media app, that's like saying KZbin is a social media app.

[@PhoenixRiseinFlame]

There’s also the whole CCP ownership element that plays into the evil aspect of TikTok.

[@bonk2935]

Dont forget about the PRISM spying program by which the CIA collects all types of data from different U.S. companies such as Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft,etc 🥴

[@davidanalyst671]

right, but if its so evil, why did trump call them out, tell them he was going to shut down the servers, and then eventually force the commies in the USA government to start hacking and using data?

[@nickmagrick7702]

yeah, TikTok is Chaotic-Evil. The internet is Chaotic-Neutral

[@liberaldriller9884]

USA good CCP bad 😂😂😂 ain't no kids being blasted to death everyday in China. Don't see China bombing schools and hospitals either.............

[@nneeerrrd]

CCP is spreading its tentacles worldwide in preparation for the ww3.

[@icedirt9658]

Here’s a “correlation” for ya. I know from my own life that the more time I spend bouncing between platforms hoping for a new notification or message the worse and more anxious I feel. If I cut out or limit my use of social media, I feel less depressed, less anxious, and more focused. It is too early to say that the ways we use tik toc and other platforms has 0 impact on our mental health. At the very least there is an interaction between the two. You cannot correctly say that mental health is the chicken, and social media is the egg.

[@twodumbgamers9285]

Depression is just the worry about the past and anxiety is the worry of the future. More specifically your future or your past. So it makes sense if you're waiting for that notification to pop up, it'd make your anxiety worse. You're worrying about something that will take place in the future. Not being on social media just allows you to be in the moment easier which is much better for your health.

[@SarahAndTheWMB]

In answer to the question at the end, Get in touch with your creativity, you’ll never be bored a second in your life. I don’t enough of a life time to pursue all my creative endeavors, that all require to dive deep and get lost in one single activity, being focused for long stretches of time - reading, studying, practicing, rehearsing, exercising... : music, screenwriting, sawing, singing tapping into body-mind / body awareness / body wisdom / felt sense however you want to call it, phytotherapy, archeo-anthropology, songwriting, hiking, rock-climbing... that’s me. Each one of us has a whole infinite expanding universe inside worth exploring, and I keep being both amazed and frustrated at how much there is to play with.

[@Kevin-cy2dr]

"If idiots could fly tik tok would be the airport." - Some wise guy

[@8523wsxc]

Funnily enough you copy-pasted that comment from one tik tok's competitors.

[@Ben-rz9cf]

This entire video misses the mark by so much to the point that it's actually ironically incredibly out of touch. First of all, its not the older generation skeptical or fearful of new technology--the younger generations have their concerns with it as well. Second, it is NOT even a new technology. The very platform you are on now is ALREADY the same implementation of the same technologies, the difference is not in the way those technologies which have been around for decades now are used but the types of and length of content being created for a different platform. Has KZbin made us dumber? Yes and no. It all depends on the channels you subscribe to and what kind of content they make... well researched longform content can be highly educative. But can anyone argue that tiktok could be used as a healthy, intelligent means of communicating information? No. Not in a million years. It almost exclusively contains MISinformation, and its shortform format is inherently antithetical to any factual deconstruction or thoughtful analysis. It is literally IMPOSSIBLE by virtue of the format to include that in a tiktok video. Lets put education aside... Can we say that tiktok could be a great tool for comedy alone? ...maybe... Trace back a chain of lipsynced wanton copyright infringement, brainless memes and remixes and you might actually occasionally find a cheap laugh or 2... But more realistically what you're left with is a complete breakdown of social awareness or norms where some kid slaps his own father in the face with a dead fish desperately hoping that his own complete demoralization and lack of social skills will net him 15 seconds of fame rather than 15 minutes. Its not the potential for what this technology COULD be used for that scares people. It's what it's already used for now. Braindead teens who feel they have to constantly dance to maintain peoples shrinking attention like fucking jingling keys in front of a baby. Chinese spying and propaganda and an active effort to demoralize the west and undermine their national education standards and democracy. Rampant and not only POTENTIALLY dangerous but DEFINITELY dangerous and often times literally lethal misinformation. Can you honestly say there is one redeeming factor of tiktok as a platform that doesn't come with any caveats? We look to things like VR or AR glasses, smartphones and self driving cars and we all know and can talk about the risks of these technologies, and be both excited and afraid of their potential without someone immediately straw manning critics as grandpas afraid and confused by newfangled technologies, but the moment something as inane and irredeemable as tiktok comes up thats everyones go to. Frankly how dare you take this stance even for the sake of the devils advocate. Its such a fucking chain of bullshit fallacies.

[@ohitsstar1241]

A powerfully worded, well written comment. It’s amazing how willing Wisecrack was to sympathize with and and excuse the negative effects of TikTok. Especially considering it encourages the very principles of unrestrained growth and consumer exploitation that they usually rail against. But no, Wisecrack lets the Xi’s international probe off with sharing disinformation because “Hey, Zuck did it too, so why should we care here?” Comments like these are why I can never wholeheartedly make jokes about people “writing novels in the comment section.”

[@a2d]

TikTok is a disease. My wife is addicted to it and I have told her over and over that it's the equivalent of cigarettes for her brain. She said she would delete it if I told her to, but I told her I'm not going to order her around. I want her to want to delete it. Meanwhile, she sends me links to the most outrageous misinformation and then I have to explain to her why those videos are manipulative clickbait, hardly rooted in fact. The other thing that kills me is that there's no substance. It's just vacuous people doing stupid dances, making cheap jokes and spreading misinformation. Also it sends chills down my spine whenever I hear my friend say the app has them figured out and sends them videos it knows they'll like. That's the CCP. They have you figured out. They know your name, your face, what engages you, what drives you. They can exploit that knowledge to manipulate you. It's terrifying. Also conveniently omitted from this video is the censorship. Say anything critical of the CCP or reference something like Tiananmen Square? Enjoy your shadow ban. Also not mentioned in the video is the permissions you have to grant TikTok to use it. People don't understand that TikTok isn't primarily a video sharing platform. It is spyware first, and the videos are just there to entice you to hand over your contacts, your keystrokes, your location, your biometrics, your browsing history, what other apps you use... Is the content in TikTok evil? Eh, debatable. But the app itself? Definitely evil.

[@Ben-rz9cf]

@@ohitsstar1241 Thanks. It's a "novel" because I need time to address all of the fallacious points made in the video and I couldn't be bothered to make a proper response video. I figure wisecracks typical audience isn't the type to simply dismiss something just because it's long winded. That kind of ignorance irks me.

[@ohitsstar1241]

@@Ben-rz9cf I’m not a typical wisecrack viewer, but i will read something when it compels me enough

[@lanagievski1540]

It genuinely feels like the more I use Tik Tok, the mentally slower I get. Destroys my attention span and increases disassociation

[@allbyhmsf9878]

I think it's about making a cultivation of attention and critical thinking attractive to people who aren't interested in that because of instant gratification. It's a total shit show honestly... While I agree social media is a tool and tools can be misused I still am unconvinced that there are no correlations between social media use and depression or anxiety. Maybe it exaggerates what is already there, sure, but that can't be good either.

[@lintaobohan]

"This form of despair is: in despair not to will to be oneself. Or even lower: in despair not to will to be a self. Or lowest of all: in despair to will to be someone else, to wish for a new self. Immediacy actually has no self, it does not know itself; thus it cannot recognize itself and therefore generally ends in fantasy. When immediacy despairs, it does not even have enough self to wish or dream that it had become that which it has not become ." - Søren Kierkegaard

[@Alex-hm7nt]

Its not the app itself, it's about how much time/energy you put into it (just like all of the other social media sites). As I get older, the more I find that I don't need or want other socials like Tik Tok, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitter. I keep FB and I'm getting close to getting rid of IG (again, it's all ads!) Another helpful thing is time limits, whether that's set on your phone or a personal goal. And even more important (for young people), social media is CURATED. No matter how many times creators say their page is "real", its still a selective decision that the person chooses to show you/us. And lastly, people need to understand that life has peaks, valleys AND plateaus. Not every moment of your life is going to be joy filled, or sorrow. It'll get boring and thats ok

[@RealBradMiller]

I like how KZbin has kept how you have to refresh the page to see comments or else it shows those from a random community post, and then the video has to restart a few times and then goes into miniplayer mode and it's just brilliant! Really keeps me on my toes, YT.

[@JD-ny3vz]

Only speaking for myself getting off of social media definitely makes me feel anxious and depressed. And the times I've gone back I instantly feel a rush of anxiety.

[@Jaysin412]

I've embraced social media since the old chat rooms of the 90's, and used to absolutely love MYSPACE... I jumped to Facebook when in college, when you literally needed a college ID or IP address or whatever it was back then, I honestly forget, but, growing up, being almost 40, and honestly just seeing what people are posting and complaining about these days, made me stop using actual Facebook, and just talk to family and friends via messenger if I dont have their phone number, or they live far away, I made a tiktok when it first came out, but once I realized that it was just a worldwide popularity contest, I deleted it immediately. It's on par with the old vine fad, and honestly, it's fucking stupid. Go watch some real entertainment, go learn something, hell, go fucking read something, 90% of these tiktokers really need to.... tiktok is nothing but a bunch of rabid foaming adult children screaming "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!"

[@eyeamstrongest]

boomer energy

[@Jaysin412]

@@eyeamstrongest that's cool. Tiktok is retarded

[@TORO2036]

I suffer from severe bicycle face & I can assure you that bikes will eventually cause you to have bicycle face too. This is a great video! There are LOTS of great videos on this channel! This one, as are the others, is very well delivered & thought-provoking. I predict that technology will become more central to our lives until one day it is difficult to distinguish between technology & ourselves. How we arrive there is important. People must make ethics the light in the dark. There's an ocean of possibilities awaiting us each new time new technology is invented. It would be silly to think we've seen all that human ingenuity can produce, after only approximately 100 years of modern tech. There will be new tech of the future that will make what we consider today to be the best of all time, to be outdated & old.

[@irrevenant3]

4:44 Plato and Socrates were right. Writing *did* destroy the oral tradition, and our memories are *far* worse than when we could rattle off a 15,000 line epic poem off the top of our head.

[@karansharma2738]

i am from india and i m glad our govt banned tiktok but instagram came up with reels. so youth is consuming same garbage with diff name

[@DataLal]

I have TikTok and I watch it sometimes, as well as the not-Tik-Toks on other social media, including KZbin Shorts. I find I can get through a small feed of videos on the non-Tik-Tok platforms and very occasionally binge if I find some really great content. But Tik-Tok itself - I just find it to be too much - I burn out and actually get kind of bored after a while (whereas when first using Tik-Tok, I could be on there for hours). It doesn't help that it's become more obnoxiously ad-filled and hard to remember which content creators I like best so I can come back to them myself. KZbin and other social medias have a feed, but it's not as all-consuming as it is on Tik-Tok. So far, only KZbin has managed to capture my attention span the fullest. Probably because it has a very good algorithm for finding what interests you, but it's easier to be independent and go find what you're into on your own as well. All the best "rabbit holes" have gone down from a combination of those factors. It's also easy to put music on KZbin on in the background when I don't want to or can't sit in front of a screen. It's just more versatile that way.

[@i.am.10vely]

In my case, tik tok makes me lose track of time. So I end up wasting precious hours on it, instead of better or more important things. And I'm never satisfied. That's the scariest part of it for me

[@katcuber4863]

Your videos never disappoint!

[@the_last_mou]

good video man, keep it up

[@PrinceTancred]

Hmm, wisecrack.. I remember that name.. why haven’t I watched them in ages? *hears douche talking about my carbon footprint* Welp, see you in 3 years when I accidentally click on a wisecrack video again.

[@elledee6182]

I can't vouch for others, but for me, I installed Tiktok for a few days, but the constant videos bombarding my eyes alone was overwhelming and obnoxious, so uninstalled and never looked back. Some of them reach into Instagram reels, which I look at more, but even then, I got bored and went back to my hobbies 😅

[@johanbispo2443]

I´ve always seen TikTok as a new kind of "anti culture", like shows and commercials that you see in Japan and other Asian countries. By anti culture I mean stupid shows that contradicts the societal norms, traditions and expectations. Take Japan for example: People can work 10-12 hours/day (and even more), the job market is incredibly competitive, and su!cide rates is a major problem. Now, what does Japan´s television culture look like? It´s crazy, loud and often just plain weird. It´s everything that the Japanese societal norm isn´t. A sort of anti culture. Now I´m not sayng that every country is like Japan, but let´s just look at the USA: Women´s rights to decide over their own bodies getting ripped away, impending civil war, mass shootings etc etc.These issues creates a lot of anxiety, especially for young people. And with easy access to cameras and social media, such as TikTok, people create their own anti culture. Things that aren´t thought provoking, smart or necessarily "good", but it´s something to blow off steam from everything going on in the world. It´s crazy, loud and often just plain weird on purpose. Now I´m not saying that every single person that uses TikTok uses it in a "anti culture" purpose, but maybe some are? And if that is a good or a bad thing, that´s a whole other discussion. Just my two cents

[@olafsomething]

I deleted tik tok at the start of the pandemic, ever since I realized how much time there actually is in a day

[@deadcard13]

I still remember when someone tried to draw a line between Facebook and a rise in cancer and STIs. Scapegoating will never die.

[@jlinus7251]

The sad thing is I never got tik tok because the endless scrolling is really bad for me, but now KZbin has shorts and I can't seem to get rid of it. I loved this platform but now it's ruining my attention span and my time planning. I'm considering deleting it altogether 😢

[@ChillingTales12]

Only stick to long term content

[@Veto2090]

18 minutes of saying no, 1 minute confirming they're ruining attention span at the end

[@Rafael_Oiticica]

Amazing content as always! :D

[@willschermer1462]

This was a great video :)

[@Avocadomolotov]

you know that the carbon footprint thing is theater. that what we all do is pretty pointless compared to what mega corps do, right? just being a downer.

[@derekapolloalambatin8136]

your insights, my go to watch.

[@BigDog-kp2mj]

Y’all are foul for that thumbnail, I dare you to change his pic w Charli d’Amelio…..exactly.

[@josealejandrocruceszabala9529]

Hi @wisecrack could you please share the titles or links to the two mentioned studies on the relationship of anxiety and social media?

[@vraisairs9201]

I know it’s anecdotal, BUT I and pretty much all of my friends always feel worse and more anxious after scrolling through Instagram. It’s not hard science, but in my experience, there’s a definite causation of certain social media (not all) and at least temporary anxiety and depression

[@Chikadulce10]

Ever since I downloaded TikTok I made it my goal to avoid my FYP and only watch the content people I follow upload. And I'd only check in breaks where I know I won't have much time to browse so I don't just sit there consumed by it all. That's worked out pretty well for me so far.

[@KaseyMasterpeace]

Did vine die too fast for us to say this happened with vine? I mean tiktok is just vine but with more bells and whistles

[@rodylermglez]

Speaking of lack of access to health services (in the US), you should take a look and maybe make some videos about New Amsterdam (4 seasons currently).

[@0eulogra0]

I don't get Tiktok at all, specially the urge to do what everyone else is doing that week.

[@holoceph3916]

Its all just a desperate attempt to be seen and blow up with no real plan

[@BBoPPo88]

The last part is so important, why is it so short? I think the main issue with social media especially tiktok is that our attention spans are shortening. Social media psychologically designed to be addictive and it's destroying our lives. I know this because I work in silicone valley in that sector specifically (altho my company is not a social media comp)

[@Chrisxantixemox]

There have been numerous studies on how videos in which scenes change rapidly effect children's attention spans. The conclusion is that they do not. This is why if you watch pretty much any kids show, the camera will change every 3 seconds almost on the dot. It keeps their attention engaged. That trick has been pretty well known since like the 90's. It's also why Wisecrack zooms in and out every 5-10 seconds even though he is just a floating head. It keeps you watching the video and keeps your brain engaged with the content. In conclusion, Wisecrack is probably ruining your attention span just as much as TikTok.

[@AdarshKumar-nj7rp]

If Wisecrack is like Poker, Tik-Tok is slot machine. Its malice lies in its simplicity. Tbf, it's not just Tik-Tok but all short video apps. You start with a 30 second video but end up hours on it, because there's no limit. Whereas on a vlog channel like Wisecrack or Vox, you watch one 20 minute video and that's it. You move on to something different.

[@GiI11]

This video was so right up my alley. As in, citing people I'e actually read for a change xD

[@rosecity_chris]

I luckily avoided tiktok, but after getting off and deleting all my social media, my mental health is so much better. I also don't feel myself going for my phone every chance I get. Now that I can see it from the outside I definitely see some addict behaviors from some people who use tiktok in particular.

[@evelienheerens2879]

Our attention spans have noticeably and measurably shrunk and they've been shrinking since the internet first appeared. The first websites lost traffic if a click wasn't met with a loaded screen within 4 seconds. I don't think you can blame how our brain changes because of crazy amounts of access to information on tiktok alone.

[@Onomatopoeia4u]

The issue is with all these time wasting and distracting things that we don't fo us on ourselves. It's difficult to work on yourself, it's easy to waste away hours on video games, social media, and TV. We usually tend to do the easy thing when it's so easily available and constantly innundating us.

[@kamimakesstories6337]

Bro, this advert for climate change is straight up dystopian. The carbon cycle exchange between the lithosphere and atmosphere is something that happens on GEOLOGIC TIME SCALES. You're talking about a process that removes roughly 0.2 Gt of carbon each year through natural methods. In 2020, just the USA alone produced 5.5 Gt of Carbon Dioxide. It's insane to me that this is being brought up as any sort of method to fight back against climate change

[@galewings6224]

I feel like this is not the best take. Putting aside the misunderstanding of the chicken/egg analogy, TikTok isn’t some new technology, it’s simply a product, focus group tested and specifically weaponized to target addictive behavior in order to make money. Thats not the same thing as making more efficient mail (email) or whatever examples you gave. Your need to contextualize everything with freshman level European philosophy canon completely ignores the very simple reality that TikTok is intentionally designed to be loud, time wasting and addictive without really being innovative in any way. Accessible content creation has already been a thing for a long time on the internet, TikTok didn’t invent it or really revolutionize it in any way. It’s kind of like comparing something like the invention of TV to daytime television that specifically preys on addiction and reactionary audiences. I hate to be the philosophy hater, but my god, sometimes you need to step outside canon a little bit.

[@dylannguyen1317]

I think the “revolutionary” part of TikTok is people are a little more inclined to post on it because the algorithm is somewhat easy to follow. Like you don’t see everyone on Instagram or KZbin posting whereas it seems like a lot more people are willing to post on TikTok since it’s easier to get more views.

[@galamotshaku]

Thanks for saying this, I love wisecrack, but I hate their need to try to explain everything as a result of the industrial revolution as if it was a cyclical thing. We're living in very different times now and death philosophers have a lot of shortcomings when it comes to explain modern societies.

[@galewings6224]

@@dylannguyen1317 Yeah I think you’re right, although I will say that I think that’s already been precedented in Snapchat, vine, etc. I think TikTok just optimized the algorithm to be more addictive, which is less revolutionary and more just trimming edges if that makes sense.

[@galewings6224]

@@galamotshaku Yeah I like them too, I just think they really like to play both sides sometimes to a degree that actually kind of obfuscates the point. Specifically with Michael I wish he would branch out more from the philosophy lens sometimes.

[@ЯнаЦист-п3б]

Deleted tiktok a month ago and i can feel how my brain cells regenerate

[@AceChampElite]

How long do you guys think it will take them to change the title and/or thumbnail of this video? 2 hours?

[@HaohmaruHL]

The content on tiktok is so bad and cringe that if you're actually watching it your brain is already dead anyway

[@blanqui2040]

I have recently learned that I am what they now call "a highly sensitive person" (or HSP). I have never tolerated certain types of music (e.g. party music) that I feel invasive and unhealthy. The same thing happens to me with other content... it's like the physical sensation of your body getting sick. I don't have TikTok for the same reasons: every time I see an ad about it something doesn't feel right, and yes, physically speaking. It may seem exaggerated but I'm not the only person it happens to. There is something really wrong with it, and it's what children are most exposed to in our world today.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

TikTok has ruined KZbin. KZbin shorts with its idiotic vertical format is wasting 60% of my TV screen....

[@frankmccormick5499]

I'm old enough to remember when "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" caused a similar concern over ruining the attention span of America's Youth. Somehow or other I survived with the ability to enjoy opera with the Wagner Ring becoming a favorite.

[@zoiwill123]

This was a nice video to accompany my goat blood megapint!

[@ExposeDrift]

Could you cite the source for the mental health/social media study please?

[@soren633]

I would say it’s a decent way to kill 30 min to an hour and sometimes a useful place to find good new music, snippets of useful info to further research elsewhere and funny creators. Some people have problem with binges but I find myself getting too bored with it after around 30 min.

[@titaniatixie]

I think one of the reasons we're so scared of rapid technological and scientific advancements is because we're still primitive in our dna. Our biological evolution isn't keeping up. I'm 24 years old and these advancements do frighten me.

[@aSUGAaddiction]

One of the best things I ever did for my mental health was deleting Tik Tok. It's not for me.

[@bobpope3656]

Social media didn’t ruin anything it just gave a voice to stupid people.

[@gerdaleta]

Tik tok is a Chinese weapon to make all of you stupid I never installed it and never will you people have lost your minds God help you

[@milaaqui]

Good vid, and now completely off topic: is "chiral" really pronounced "shiral" and I've saying it wrong my whole life?

[@Musamecanica]

I can’t get into tiktok, I’ve tried it seems like the algorithm can’t find anything I’d like to watch. Plus, I don’t like short content, if a video is not at least 15 minutes long, I’m not clicking. I like to have these on while I craft or do something around the house, so tiktok doesn’t cut it.

[@sacrilegioussasquatch]

Being bored is good for you. It forces you to go out and learn or do something. We have a bunch of worderful stuff because someone sat in a room and had an idea out of boredom

[@sacrilegioussasquatch]

@VIDOGRAM0 Bot

[@aesclap21]

The bit about „having a cheeseburger send to our home, while lying hungover in bed“ is kinda mis-en-abyme, as I literally am lying hungover in bed, waiting for my cheeseburger while watching this video 😱🙈

[@MrApplefan44]

After I fell out of Facebook since I don't have that need to post about my life to everyone I know and only use FB Messenger to talk with FB friends/family, I pretty much stopped using social media's all together which was initial turn off for TikTok. So maybe I'm saved from that, but KZbin is getting there as well so yeeeeeeeah

[@jowysantiago]

it is, sometimes, through boredom that the best ideas come. There is space to think and imagine.

[@Chamelionroses]

Some are addicted and it stays not so unregulated compared to most social media.

[@chriswillis713]

I have a parasocial relationship with my cat.

[@ScarletDeath]

It doesn't matter how short the videos are or how good the algorithm is at the end of the day I feel like most of the harm comes from the repititive nature of the endless 'scrolling. I'm disabled and stay at home and I watch 60+ hours of KZbin a week if I switched to the same time spent on TikTok would my attention span decline get any worse? Doubtful. Cheers.

[@beautanner8409]

I think this piece didn't put enough attention on the fact that apps like this are addictive - it mentioned it, but didn't underscore that as a problem unto itself.

[@RainAngel111]

I'm much more worried about the way TikTok gives your information to the Chinese government than any effect on our attention span

[@na3rial]

I don't fully agree that this is the same thing as heavy metal and video game fears. This is an instance where the brain is literally subjected to constant dopamine hits for every second of every day, and where we become hardwired to want dopamine constantly. From the lens of social media addiction and how that affects our mental health, I think there's real possibility of this being a genuine problem. Not just for "young people," but everyone.

[@nickmagrick7702]

14:12 I want to make the very strong argument in no uncertain terms right now, that this tendancy to trust those with prestiege, respect and admiration includes those so called "qualified experts". Everyone loves to point out how if you are not a registered expert on something, you're not allowed to have ideas about it. However we are very slow to recognize, that sometimes those experts have biases themselves or are sometimes even props, put into positions they are not qualified by merit over others to be there. Everyone remembers that back in the day, doctors used to say ciggerettes were healthy for you, and you should smoke to lose weight and stay mentally sharp. Many people like yourself seem to not be able to put 2 and 2 together with stuff like this. I will give you an example. There is a HUUUUGGGGEEEEE spike in heart related issues since 2020. What a number of so called experts are calling this is "post traumatic pandemic disorder". They are blaming this tend on people being stressed out due to the pandemic rather than any other potential causes. Like I don't know, inflammation of the heart. And its also not uncommon knowledge to know that vaccines cause, you guessed it, inflammation. This particular vaccine is much, much different than any other vaccines, in fact even calling it a vaccine might not be appropriate since it does not confer long lasting protection, prevent spread, nor does it use an attenuated virus. It causes much more inflammation than most other vaccines, which is normal when you introduce a dead or half alive virus or bacteria, but it is not normal when your body is producing spike proteins that don't easily break down everywhere throughout your body. Nothing im saying here is controversial, I intentionally left out all the speculative stuff about covid and the vaccine. These are facts, and I don't need to be a resident expert on virology or genetics to know this. I would also like to point out, there have been many experts who have come out about this stuff, and they lost their positions and status as "experts". Final note, this is not to say there are not people going bat shit crazy over unproveable ill intent or negative phenomena around covid. Such as 5G causing covid. Obviously that shit is nonsense based on a very very small sliver of truth, where its been proven that 5G, or in other words high energy electro-magnetic frequencies, can cause cellular damage by raising the temperature of cells beyond their normal ranges. This is where that particular conspiracy started. 5G might be something to worry about in more subtle ways. This is the one episode of Wisecrack that ive seen where the mass bulk of your audience is saying something is off about your philosophical interpretations. Its not just me. I would figure out what the difference is from your own perspective.

[@johnnysmith64]

On yay an ad that invokes my anxiety by making me responsible for keeping track of my carbon footprint and telling me when I'm failing. So anxiety reducing 👍

[@IdrisFashan]

Does anyone have a link to those studies about anxiety and social media use that were quoted later in the video (something about Canada, Finland & Germany, maybe?)

[@PeanutStrawberry]

"Money is a great servant but a bad master." Guess it's time for the sequel: "Money and technology are great servants, but bad masters."

[@coryholliday926]

Do we even want our attention back if means being bored af. That line made me flinch

[@Hotshot2k4]

It's legitimately sad to watch my generation get older and start learning less, and assuming more, becoming like all the generations before them that they criticized in their youth. Every generation has its own "x thing is ruining the youth" and/or "the youth are ruining the youth". Just as we start growing into the age of becoming electable as politicians, we begin to think more like those same politicians everyone criticizes. It's an endless cycle and it seems that technology and free access to information hasn't fixed it. So far, technology is just no match for our own nature.

[@vettie]

spittin'.

[@kingartifex]

I totally agree, let the kids have their fun dammit...

[@galamotshaku]

Tik Tok is not just harmful for the youth, there's also a ton of old people using it. I don't buy into the fallacy that young people inherently move things towards progress nor the idea that things where better back in ma days. It's about finding a balance and never stop questioning why we do what we do.

[@kingartifex]

@@galamotshaku yeah but its no different than fb instagram etc. yet everybody was ok with that. Tik tok are just better at playing the game

[@thersten]

Nothing like this has occurred in human history. Instant gratification, constant connections, and Dopamine reward flooding the brain. If you think that's comparable to anything in the past then you're dead wrong.

[@maryvanderlent]

I deleted tiktok a few months ago and I have felt so much better ever since, never looking back.

[@DUXFAN99]

I more or less went cold-turkey on social media with exception of LinkedIn because it helped me look for jobs. Other than that, I think it’s been great to not waste time on a bunch of content they doesn’t really do much for me unless if it’s educational (even then you should ask “is it bringing me value?”). That said, I think people should really ask the question “why do you spend most your time on social media?” When you can be doing something way more productive or foster those real life relationships (understand that we all don’t live near one another). Anyway, it’s just food for thought.

[@elucified]

I mean like all things, balance is key. Tiktok as a form of entertainment is not necessarily a bad thing and things aren't as easy as "let's just be more productive!" which many would interpret as "just work more!" which only fuels capitalism. Consuming bad things isn't always a bad thing when done in moderation (potato chips, anyone?) and the same applies here. Just be aware of the choices you make and weigh the pros and cons, then adjust accordingly.