your brain on tiktok

[@zoeunlimited]

Do YOU think TikTok is the problem? Also BetterHelp and I want to gift you 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/zoeunlimited 🤍 hope you stay well

[@zillionclick]

Yes! I do

[@JohnMoy-cd5fz]

I think how people can't get rid of it is the real problem

[@elizabethlupin7990]

I have a question. Why they won't help me when I am in that crisis stadium or smth??

[@britneybij3997]

I will say this all the time in regards to the existential crisis and shit we are having......a good chunk of it is because everything is expensive for no fucking reason. Nowadays, you need a college education just to get a decent job, and even that decent job is barely enough to meet basic necessities. To find your passions, to cultivate wisdom, to make connections with people and deepen relationships, to discover ones self, explore and learn more about the world, all that shit that helps us feel some form of fulfillment, that shit REQUIRES TIME! But with how low wages are, and how high prices are, people can't afford to take a day or two off from work. WE CANT AFFORD TIME anymore. If we can't afford time, how the hell can we do anything else that requires time? If we are exerting ourselves, putting all of our time and energy just to have basic necessities and keep our heads over water, how the hell could we get anything else done? Whoever said money can't buy you happiness was living in a time when missing one day or week of work wouldn't risk you getting evicted. Money can help you achieve physical stability, and once the physical needs are not a constant survival struggle, then everything else can be done much easier. *If the people aren't taken care of, how can anything else be?*

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

nah oldies are the problem

[@daisyxxo]

Regardless of data and privacy, I think that social media (especially TikTok) is simply not good for your mental health which is my top reason for avoiding TikTok

[@Skydenski]

The thing is that people think Tiktok is full of stupid challenges, thirst traps, and idiots, but that is only if they pay attention to those kinds of content. The app only shows you what it thinks YOU would pay attention to. If you're into DIYs it will show you videos of people doing DIYs, tips, home renovations, ideas, etc. Gardening? It will show you gardening content. Medical? It will show you medical. It literally is people's own fault what they allow themselves to become and pay attention to. If you got on tiktok right now and it personalized to you so well that it's almost as if it knows who you, you would be a little bit intrigued by the platform as well. It's even a joke among the tiktok community about how well their algorithm knows them. You shouldn't judge what you never tried not especially if you never even tried to understand it. There's many people on there having deep discussions about life who want to help others improve their mental health, people that remind others to be careful on tiktok, but you would need to pay attention to that type of content to get more of it. The more you spend time comparing yourself to attractive people and their lives on tiktok, the more time you will spend looking at them so the algorithm shows you more of the people. If you focus your attention on people who try to improve themselves, make up tips, fashion ideas, etc you could use the platform to your advantage and make yourself a better person, but people are using it for the wrong reasons and now the government is trying to hide a internet restriction bill behind the banning of the app so they can be in more control of what content you do consume.

[@spragona]

@@Skydenski The app does not “think”, it’s just another algorithm that gives you more of the same shit. Does it recommend complementary interests? What happens when you deviate from your base interests? What if you watch something unrelated to your base interests? Will the results change? Will the new interest oversaturate your feed? It’s made in a way so you spend more of your time on the app. It’s like facebook, except cool amongst the kids…until it won’t, until something new will take it’s place. Also, the app is made in such a way that you get tracked across the internet based on identifiers such as your email and device id. Could it be why tiktok knows you so well? Do you enjoy being watched and exploited for corporate gains?

[@alsimanche]

@@Skydenski i get what you mean, it really does depend on yourself as the user, i know that there's a lot of good stuff on tiktok, like the the types of knowledge and information you can get, however i still think that it's best to avoid it, I've installed tiktok a couple of times before, and i can say it was very addictive, and when people ask me what's the app that has a very negative impact on my mental health, i would still say tiktok, and I'm not even talking about the contents on the app, I'm talking about the app itself, like how it's designed, how you keep scrolling and keep seeing only videos with a couple of these repetitive sounds people use, it's honestly very exhausting, i opened the app for like 12 to 30 minutes and i always wondered why i felt so tired mentally.. and as for the good stuff,i prefer to watch youtube, like you can learn from tiktok too ofc, but most of them are only short videos, and it kinda rewired your brain and shorten your attention span, with youtube i can still train myself to stay focused throughout the video

[@elizabeth7sj222]

Well my fyp is full of video game content. And if I swipe up for any sexist content it stays away. I swipe up for any tik toks with just text on it too. I feel like it’s one of the best algorithms

[@daisyxxo]

@@Skydenski It's true that you can personalise (to a certain extent) your fyp to what you want it to be! That's how the algorithm works for most social media apps (to my knowledge) but to me the problem is not the content of the app but the app's design itself. I downloaded tiktok once like a year or 2 ago and had to delete it because of how addicting it was. I was wasting multiple hours on the app looking at things that ultimately were useless. Yes, some of the responsibility lies on the user for not having the self-discipline to get off the app but the app is designed to be addiciting (like most social media, they want you to stay on the app) You get a few rare good tiktoks out of the many that you scroll through, your attention span drops due to the very short duration of tiktoks, and your brain gets overloaded with a bunch of random information. Also, while insta does have reels and ytube has shorts which serve the same function as tiktoks basically, I don't think they're AS addiciting. This may just be my experience but insta and yt has other main functions (posts and stories for insta and actual videos for ytube). I use these other functions which breaks up my time spent scrolling through reels/shorts. Tiktok does not have any other main functions other than short form videos (when I used it at least).

[@HeatherSchrivener-el2mx]

I’m actually totally fine with banning TikTok on official government devices. Because why do you need a social media app/site on your work device anyways? Use your personal device for that. And ALL social medias are harvesting your data, that’s how they make their money. So keeping all of them off work devices just makes sense.

[@douae5857]

Right, Facebook had literally a timeline of my life and who people around me were because of how much i was sharing on there when I was a teen. People are only focusing on TikTok because it's Chinese.

[@reba738]

👏👏👏 thank you for being so logical and rational. That's the best statement/argument I've heard on this whole debate.

[@vintageguitar777]

It’s banned on their personal phones too, I have a friend who’s parent is in the military and she can’t even have it on her phone either.

[@n_edet]

Tiktok changes people and not always for the best

[@happy_highs]

It’s never for the best

[@creamypeanutbutter7769]

Most of the time for the worst

[@Kpopies_GotNoBrain]

Mine did best

[@Prettyprincesscornerr]

No thing or no one can change you without your consent(whether it’s consciously or subconsciously)

[@Kpopies_GotNoBrain]

@@Prettyprincesscornerr yeah right it's your responsibility not other fault

[@laurad4277]

Tik tok had ruined my sister, she spends her whole day on it and literally cried when we suggested she stay off it for just a day

[@hamgurber00]

thats really terrible.hope it doesn’t get worse to the point that it affects her both mentally and physically. wishing her to get better

[@DannyD-lr5yg]

Usually when people have any sort of addiction or dependency, it’s because there’s some need underneath that that isn’t being met. Is she lonely? Depressed? Does she have anxiety - about dating, school, exams, college upcoming? Maybe untreated ADHD? I know she’s far from a h3r0in addict lol, but, you may still find the rat park experiment interesting. Rats were offered free H and got quite addicted - but once they were given enough mental stimulation, companionship, etc, they overwhelmingly gave up the H willingly. This is proving to be true with people, too, seen best in US military people: H/similar drugs are taken by a huge number of vets while they’re deployed, in combat, away from home, etc. MOST of those had no issue giving up such a powerful drug once they returned home to their communities and families, with only a small percentage of them moving into active addiction in the US. Tl;dr I don’t know your sister, but I’d imagine obsessive TikTok use is more of a symptom than a root problem.

[@turqussy]

I sending my hope that things get better for her ):

[@giselle_kvm]

That isn't the apps fault. Tell your parents to take responsibility

[@laurad4277]

@@DannyD-lr5yg oh I definitely agree that there is some other issue, I think it's probably anxiety because she refuses to get a job because she'll have to meet new people

[@flyawayage]

the fact the gov is more concerned about an app than school shootings, climate change, mental health, school education, etc is baffling. yes people shouldn't be on the app so much and we shouldn't get influenced by any person that has most likely used a filter to look a certain way. there should be something done for the addiction, but not in the sense of questioning a man for five hours. also note doesn't the fbi collect data??? and they're basically only doing that due to them being afraid of people changing their minds come voting time.

[@olaczyk]

Fr bro

[@willowroseyt]

Tik tok negatively contributes to almost everything you listed

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

@@willowroseyt literally every single social media does this, idk why ur singling tiktok out

[@leroyMXII]

Lol ,its not the only agenda fbi has, dont be that superficial

[@willowroseyt]

@@aquaaria3489 I was in high school when tik tok came out and every mentally healthy normal kid in my class was suddenly claiming to be gay, emo, bipolar, or having Tourette’s months after getting on Tik Tok. I don’t see that as a coincidence

[@taiahunter2600]

Tbh I also think it’s on the parents. A lot of parents don’t set strong foundations in their kids or let the internet raise them.

[@tvsfactshacks6841]

It not that, tik tok manipulates people and brainwashes you, especially when ur a teenager, it's a fact that people can brainwash you in 2 hours to think you did something wrong, so not always the parents fault its just best to not use these apps

[@spattzliyah2.0]

U think that's gonna stop kid from being on social media this is the age of social media

[@chanpiggy3938]

we're all addicted

[@Arcessitor]

This is delusional. Your kid is not growing up in a little gated castle on a mountaintop. They live in a society, where they will have to make friends. And they will see those friends in school and outside school, becausey ou cannot monitor them 24/7. And those friends will have phones, and computers, and TVs. There will be billboards and magazines. Everything is in place to draw your kids in no matter what you do. This needs a countrywide or even world-wide solution.

[@mariahwisdom-peters6309]

If it's not Tiktok it will be another app. The issue is within us the apps just highlight these issues and bring them to the surface.

[@cielolopez1117]

TikTok is the problem. It’s short form of content has been proven to be extremely addictive and shorten our attention spans.

[@enity-d5i]

@@cielolopez1117 people will literally js swarm to another app. ie likee or some bull

[@olaczyk]

Yeah and short content is now everywhere. Instagram reels or youtube shorts- and that's not all and it gets even further

[@username_creates6991]

No the apps copy eachothers algorithms. They're made to be addictive. You use it for long enough and you become an addict without realizing it. I had to try really hard to stay off and it doesn't work unless I physically remove the apps off my phone and have a detox for a month. Also some apps such as youtube are impossible to remove. Googles layout is not making it easier for me to stay off my phone. They put a bunch of articles you can get to when swiping left on an adroid phone and they're super addictive to me too. Espcially when Im use to being online and gained an addiction without realizing it. Its kinda turning everyone to zombies too cus no one is really fully present the couple of hours we all hang out together and no one realizes they're addicted until its too late. Its definetly the fault of the apps. Cus no one could have predicted how we were suppose to use them. We're still in an experimental phase of all of it. And perhaps many have just begun to realise the concequences of using these apps. For instance I can't even delete all apps off of my phone and mentally Im not capable of never coming back to the app whenever I feel bored.

[@tsuchiryu9566]

Listen, I've been saying this. Society also drives the algorithms. 👏🏽

[@astoria7452]

Banning tiktok in India was actually blessing

[@anweshapanigrahii]

so true

[@cosmou.u6705]

Indeed

[@hurremhightower]

just out of curiosity,did it resolve anything?like the mental health the spread of misinformation(which are inherent to all social media)it feels like a way to avoid the bigger talks since tik tok would not be like that if the society woukd not be problematic(i am refering in general)

[@simranverma7078]

@@hurremhightower i think Instagram and other platforms are doing same thing the problem doesn't go away

[@walia6343]

@@simranverma7078 yea you're right

[@casluvs]

An app like TikTok is harmful for anyone, but especially teenagers / teenage girls. As a teenage girl myself, I can basically say it’s ruined me, lmao. My mental health has never been so bad. The whole thing is filled with toxicity and negativity. As someone who’s been using it for years now.. I can definitely say it was a much more positive community to be in during 2015-2019, but ever since then, it’s been unreal.

[@chiana1706]

If you haven’t already I hope you find the strength to delete the app. Good luck

[@yusra-p5x]

​@@chiana1706 I deleted the app almost two years ago and it was the best decision of my life

[@iloveeveryone-jb6iv]

I agree so much. Deleting it changed my life for the better in so many ways. I started caring about my health and also hanging out with family more. I realize now how much I missed out on and I am so thankful that I was able to get rid of it. I hope you can have a similar experience 😊

[@PSL_Lover2024]

I deleted the app and I no longer have top 50 songs and tik tok video music playing in my head randomly all day.... Also I can read books again! And I'm not getting sad reading all the hate comments I used to get! (I deleted the app at 8K followers.) I'm a better person now. I don't doom scroll on there for hours at a time and feel bad after anymore. It's just a better world without.

[@hurremhightower]

not that i want to invalidate,but welcome to social media💀you should look out and follow people on the same page with you

[@surviveinc]

"short term escapism to an insatiable hunger to find meaning yet encountering none" 👏

[@gabsterr._.2926]

Because of tiktok’s addictive nature adding to the decay of attention spans of young kids, ruining perception of body image/ increasing insecurities in every way, and overall privacy/information usage taken from the app… It is definitely an issue that isn’t taken seriously enough

[@saigeskinner6535]

thats not the apps fault tho. it is your individual responsibility to make decisions, and parents resources to control what their kids can have access too. banning media is never the answer. the app has NEVER made anyone do ANYTHING, cause you never do anything you don't decide to do. people are the problem. self-control is the problem

[@ndp6108]

in my opinion, Tiktok isn't inherently bad but the content on it needs to be regulated better. The amount of misinformation and negativity on that app is paralleled by no other, which is what makes it bad (worse than other social media apps)

[@mushmush4980]

Zoe really needs to drop links to where she buys her outfit everytime she makes a video

[@LaguBudakKuching]

i love her blouse!

[@mushmush4980]

@o7 God is too good to me

[@futuristicgirl14]

She’s rich so good luck

[@MADEbySOUL]

Tiktok and this ban reminds me of 1984 by George Orwell. Specifically part of the novel where a government purposely allows and promotes superficial topics and moral outrage to hide societal problems. Such as war, injustices, and other horrendous crimes.

[@blurblarted]

ok but tik tok is actually bad lol, tik tok is more like big brother within the book lol

[@dioneam286]

​@@blurblarted All the apps and 🍪s you allow knows better about you than yourself, that's not new; first of all your internet company can provide the info to goverment if its needed. We always been walking public content.

[@moonshade3730]

@@blurblarted and what makes all the google and meta related apps less like that?

[@futuristicgirl14]

Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 talk about this Panem er Circuses effect

[@SillyLittlePookie]

I hate 1984 (reading it rn) bc of the way the main character described wanting to hurt and kill a woman for being a virgin. But yes this is very reminiscent

[@katrinavangrouw8843]

You are so right that the underlying issues is not merely Tiktok, but the "search for meaning,belonging and spiritual hunger in the West". This was a excellent video Zoe, and all the supporting footage you included really told a story. Your videos have increased in quality so much and your growth is amazing!

[@kimjongun2735]

It's an honor for me to never download tiktok in my life.

[@perhapsitsnoelle]

so true kim jong un

[@glauciamsq]

Same. Hate it. I uses it once, for only a day, and my anxiety skyrocketed because of sheer speed

[@custom4095]

You want a cookie?

[@dollsolitary]

@@custom4095something a TikTok user would say

[@sincerelysuhailah]

​​@@custom4095 it's Kim Jung un ofcourse he does

[@portofthoughts4477]

Honestly, social media is kind of a plague on society 😂 As someone who remembers what society was like before the advent of social media, there were a lot of ways it was better. Real friends, real relationships, real connections, less societal pressure, less stranger bullshit, less covering your flaws with AI filters that make you feel like 💩, less insecurity, less "being in your own bubble", more touching grass and breathing fresh air, less pollution (not everyone was buying a new phone/miniature computer every other year to be cool), less kids dying from dumb challenges, far fewer mass m*rders despite more 🔫 around, less ostracization . . . Anytime we want to go back to '92 I'm open for it 😅 feel bad for the kids growing up with a screen in their face at all times. You have no idea what you missed.

[@clementineb4317]

Agree. I'm litterally hoping for every social media to go down before I have kids and they are old enough to use them.

[@AlexaBellaMuerte]

@@clementineb4317 i think there will always be a new social media in fashion

[@kristennelson3190]

Exactly - thanks for sharing how we used to live. It was REAL life.👍☺️

[@GrungeGalactica]

Yeah it’s literally anti-social media at this point, it isolates us from others and the real happenings of outside world. When I was a kid, being bored meant finding something engaging to fill your time with. Developing your brain and sense of elf. Actually doing $hit. I have adhd and ever since KZbin came into my life it’s wrecked havoc on my procrastination/task paralysis. Hence why I’m never getting tiktok lol

[@Ray03595]

Social media has turned in to a massive problem and is rotting our brains. Just the truth. I hate how much time I spend on my phone and I don’t even have TikTok. Luckily I’ve deleted Instagram recently and I don’t miss it. KZbin is the only thing I use now and it’s only somewhat social media. I’m glad I had a childhood where social media was not a thing and AIM was the biggest deal

[@zara4529]

The problem is not only TikTok but all social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.). The only problem with TikTok is that it's not an American company.

[@YumeiieArtt]

Not really, Instagram and TikTok are different, plus wdym it’s cause it’s not American? Why is it just cause it’s made by china it’s a problem…?

[@myriam2068]

​@@YumeiieArtt think they meant that because TikTok isn't an america based company unlike META, the us government wants to ban it, and that it's a purely political decision

[@YumeiieArtt]

@@myriam2068 Yeah, thats true

[@absolutelynotellen]

I prided myself for never downloaded tiktok. I know all of those trends and stuffs by watching compilations or youtube shorts instead.

[@carolinatorres7575]

Arent you basically doing the same thing you would on Tiktok by watching compilations of Tiktok videos and YT shorts?

[@shoom7666]

@@carolinatorres7575 big agree, seeing trends and sludge content on a different app doesn't absolve the viewer of anything

[@carolinatorres7575]

@@shoom7666 I dont have Tiktok for the reason that i dont want to scroll on and on and realize it's been like an hour (also avoiding bad content/misinformation). But I also avoid watching KZbin shorts cause it's the same thing imo

[@apocalypseready6256]

@@carolinatorres7575 Not really, mostly because of the different format on KZbin. I watch KZbin shorts sometimes but I specifically pick the ones I want to watch and don’t endlessly scroll for hours. This means you can get short form content but also control the amount of time and energy you spend on it. Of course, the option to scroll is available, but I just like that I can watch fun TikToks but not get sucked into that trap. I’m usually watching long form content and then see a short I might like and interrupt it, but still continue with it in the end. I’d consider my attention span pretty well preserved because of that, and I get to choose what I want to watch, not the algorithm.

[@portofthoughts4477]

​​​​​@@carolinatorres7575 No, because TikTok openly states in the TOS they have access to all the other information on whatever device you use the app on (phone or computer), including biometric data like fingerprints, faceprints, and voiceprints (techcrunch 2021) which is what the government is freaking out about in terms of security. Until KZbin puts the same in its TOS, TikTok remains Chinese spyware. Not to mention, the way the CCP tailors Chinese TikTok to be educational and US TikTok to be as toxic as possible 👍 it's ingenious propaganda, because it's all created by users and just the algorithm is tailored.

[@Haveacupofkatie]

Deleting TikTok and twitter is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health

[@justwalkin1928]

True

[@TonChinKanKun]

Literally

[@mushroomoe101]

fr

[@absolutelynotellen]

Amen on that.

[@burracore]

why?

[@kayleighdriessen]

I feel like this overall world's human-society has overall become way to obsessed and concerned with greediness, entertainment, consumption, technology, overworking, image/reputation, superficial skewed ideals of beauty and the ego etc, Social Media today is only further prove of that. And yes we really need to do something about ths spiritual hunger destroying people from the inside.

[@grusnivisa]

TikTok is also super disturbing. I've seen people get crazy and post really vulgar and personal things. Like for example a fandom, when I compare fandom videos on KZbin to the videos on TikTok, KZbin is always the most wholesome and sane option. There's also negative content that popped up and made me depressed. Like, "oh how could you sit here and not post about this dying girl who was SA'd?!" Like i knew theg were trying to spread awareness, but every single second there was a TikTok video talking about really horrible cases and shaming other people for not resposting. I'd literally get so depressed when i saw those things and after that i only saw the bad things in life. That's how badly it affected me. It's just super tiring and draining and it wastes your time.

[@l4l755]

Just wanted to throw it out there: You and your content is on fire! Consistently informative, relevant and entertaining. Top tier 🎉 Congrats, the consistent workshop pause off!

[@l4l755]

*your consistent work pays off

[@iamktlyn]

I deleted tiktok a few months ago and I believe as a teenager it definitely helped me a lot. I realized mostly teens struggled with finding their identity and comfort in their skin as they’re constantly scrolling short videos and seeing SHORT videos of people living the life or a life they always wanted to experience. It wasn’t easy to let the app go but eventually I focused on how I can improve myself and grow other than depending on Tiktok 24/7 as a resource for everything such as a coping mechanism to escape reality and keep scrolling as well. I believe that teens struggle fitting in and feel the need to do certain things and keep up with social media in order to catch up with their friends.

[@rjeanne4683]

Good for you. I am early 20s and never downloaded tiktok but used instagram for work. As soon as I quit using it for a few days, my mental health and life over all improoved. Sns is the devil, haha. Try to keep thinking for yourself and keep researching history, trends, etc on your own time and NEVER trust media!

[@jackbrooks3302]

this is one of my favorite of your videos, zoe -- it was super interesting to hear about your experiences with douyin in comparison to the media conspiracies about it, and then the commentary about the spiritual void was so much more philosophical and deep than i was expecting!

[@idespisemakingusers]

As soon as you told me that Tik-Tok was the reason why I have such a short attention span I immediately deleted it, thank you for putting this info out.

[@Yuktha]

Girl your hair is absolutely GORGEOUS

[@Constantin9va]

Truth

[@piperburns6804]

I actually cant relate to a lot of this surprisingly. I haven't had tiktok on my phone for quite a long time now, but I still go on it on my computer occasionally. All I see is anime edits, video game edits, or pretty nature/hope core stuff. You just have t build your page to what you want to see and you wont get so affected by all this stuff tbh.

[@sylviastarling5150]

I think it has potential to be good, but it needs content moderation, probably strict (and yeah, people gonna scream about it). The ‘sibling’ Douyin is also popular in China but due to their strict censorship, problems like damaging people’s mental health are less likely to appear. If there were any harmful trends it will certainly be shut down by the gov

[@Constantin9va]

Yeah they only legally let you use it for a certain amount of time bc China is not a “free country” in the way we consider the US to be. This is not to say that either system is better or worse, simply different.

[@hannahrial2820]

This is a really great and credible perspective! I feel like spreading awareness like this is super important. I always dream of a way we can take these kinds of issues one step further and come up with actionable solutions to help society find meaning, purpose, and some level of common ground with each other in order to make a better America again

[@zileht]

i deleted it like a month ago. at first it was kinda hard since it was a habit but over time it got better and now i don't even wanna log in again and even the idea of downloading it again makes me wanna throw up it's like a toxic ex to me lmao

[@yaB0i_Hawkx]

Ngl the CEO kinda cooked there... Like I completely agree with the concerns, that sensitive data might be connected and abused, but the fact that they put inexperienced boomer, with no tech knowledge whatsoever to argue is totally BAHONKERS 😭

[@jillm9165]

deleting tiktok was the best thing i did for my mental health and my relationship w my body and eating habits

[@theunknowngabby]

Why is it always America. So many crazy things a happening around the world yet the US government is worried about an app.

[@Ray03595]

Because it’s warping the minds of an entire generation of kids. No big deal I guess…

[@snackchomp7235]

@@Ray03595they need stricter guidelines and not a whole deletion, plus the us has so much better things to worry about, not some app

[@opinionation571]

I always had a tiktok on and off. When I first downloaded it I did it because not just a few of my friends had tiktok, all of them had it. And I wasn’t in on the joke if I hadn’t seen the newest trend. But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy tiktok. I genuinely felt like it was not just fun, but really adding something to my life. I started reading again due to booktok, for example. But I remember spending 5 hours on there one day, realising it, feeling miserable, wanting to get off, not being able to. So after another week of this, I deleted it. And felt left out again. And re-downloaded it. And the cycle continues.. It wasn’t until my finals, about two years ago, where I had deleted it for a few months to study and then just not downloading it again. And I was fine. I felt really good mentally, actually. And I still had youtube for entertainment. But then youtube shorts hit. At first it was just a bit annoying, some weird videos popping up that I could easily ignore. But then there was more and more content, and I again found myself scrolling for hours. And it was worse than tiktok because the youtube short content is so incredibly addictive while completely lacking any substance. But back then I could still block the short content as a whole from my youtube app. But they’ve removed that feature about a year ago, so I’ve had to delete the app. I now watch on browser, where I can hide shorts for a 30-day period. And yet I still find myself going down that rabbit hole sometimes, after watching a fan cam or some other vertical video. It’s like you can’t escape the doom scrolling. And I guess I could just stop using social media as a whole, but the time in my life that I’ve been using it has been just as long as the time in my life that I haven’t. 10 years of this and social media is an absolutely substantial part of my life. I’m very much addicted to it and not sure how to manage without it in my day to day life.

[@opinionation571]

Oh yeah and the thing that bothers me so much about short form content is that you don’t choose what you watch. Instead, a video just appears served to you on a platter, and you have very little say in the whole process. With regular youtube content I’m atleast consciously making the choice of what to consume, and that’s honestly so important.

[@cherrychen99]

I think we can learn to control ourselves and try to live with these shorts. You can try to set a limit screen time on KZbin (it’s in the settings if you’re an iPhone user) I set an one hour limit for most social media apps and it do help :) also I set to shut down all apps on midnight, which force me to put down my phone. It’s not easy to get out of the addiction but we can try our best❤❤

[@ryujinsschingu6916]

I have deleted tiktok, delete yt history to get rid of shorts but somehow i still scroll ahort videos. There us literally no escaping. Im trying to stay off phone because my attention span is getting so short. I used ti be such a good student but due ti tiktok i dint do anything. It feels sooo bad and guilty

[@asthinax]

Just don’t use shorts and try watching longer form videos that are 20mins minimum. that’s what I did and my attention span isn’t so bad anymore!

[@tonjw97]

the apps aren’t the problem, the fact that everyone craves external validation, stimulation and attention constantly is. Everyone plays into the cycle and then wants to blame only the apps or the companies behind them when they’re designed to exploit this flaw for money and are working as intended 🤷‍♀️ everyone wants to be unique while at the same time thinking and doing the same as all the others and social media uses this as fuel. They know we’ll never be able to stop using it! In my country we can’t even get organised enough to protest what the government is doing other than in comment sections on facebook 🤡

[@박지민-g1r]

These people are so stupid down in the comment section. People CHANGE people, we all have an effect on each other. We make the internet THE INTERNET! And you CAN CHOOSE whether to avoid it or not.

[@Ray03595]

These tech companies spend billions to make algorithms that purposefully hook people onto their products. Can’t just only blame other people when there’s a concerted effort to have people endlessly scroll. And even when you’re not scrolling, be blasted with ads everywhere you go about it.

[@emoryhazel7983]

When I was learning Mandarin, I used many Chinese apps, including DouYin. When I used DouYin, I was not fed "spinach" content. My DouYin feed was filled with pranks, cute animals, and makeup videos. TikTok has just as many educational videos. It's just that education is not as valued by the American youth, hence, the lack of educational videos on people's For You Pages.

[@SemekiIzuio]

Yup KZbin is full of junk meme videos but it also has articles news methods practices educational videos

[@treebug7738]

TikTok made me feel so bad about my self and it made me obsess over how I looked and it didn’t help that people even my family members were calling me ugly all the time but I stopped using TikTok and it helped a bit I still feel disgusted when I look at myself though:(

[@helenagunnarsdottir9353]

I hope we can all just stop using TikTok and forget about it

[@thoughtcheese7310]

Instead of saying if TikTok is bad for you we should instead say “Why do kids have a phone in the first place?”

[@bigbionk]

This is exactly why I don’t have tiktok 💀

[@alsimanche]

I don't care if people say "it's not about the app, it depends on yourself and how you use it", for me i still think it's the worst social media ever, and I'm not even talking about the people or the contents on the app, I'm talking about the app itself, the way it designed and the algorithm, it is so addictive and very draining, like i can't imagine people who spend hours and hours scrolling on tiktok, for me, just by seeing all these short videos, with some of these annoying sounds that some people keep using, it feels like there's no end, and i always wonder why i get so exhausted after i opened that app for like 15 to 30 minutes

[@alicedomni]

i deleted tiktok not so long ago. it's not about the data, honestly (even though i'm really anxious about these type of things). it's about addiction. tiktok is really addictive for me and when i have it on my phone i can't put my life together. maybe it's the app's problem, maybe mine

[@laylahawthorne9967]

When it comes to the internet “if ur not buying the product, YOU ARE the product”

[@JurieSempai]

I love your content so much!! Also you should be a hand model if you arent already. Your hand movements while talking are mesmerizing! ✨

[@starveilvalley]

I remember a year ago I was perfectly okay watching KZbin videos in its full on normal speed, but I started using TikTok so much more. Now I feel like I cant even sit through a KZbin video without it being on 1.5. it's really the only bad thing I've had from the app.

[@Yurrpfp]

Honestly, I am sort of agree and disagree on this. It's just everything on the app. It was sort of similar to musically, just made for fun and dancing and challenge. Now, more and more people downloaded the app, different types of people, with different content ideas, with different intentions ( influence over-consumption, flex a good life/ good looks, promote a business, dumping on people how the world is gonna end). So, it all just became a dystopian, toxic app eventually. Suffered the same fate as Instagram... At the end of the day it's us people who truly make up the internet. It's us what makes things trendy or relevant. It is us who made all of these aesthetics, these standards etc. So at the end of the day, it is a person's choice to choose whether or not to have the app. If they want to or not. I never saw the effects of the app till I deleted it off my phone. I felt much more present, less self conscious, realistic and less overwhelmed about life, the future (*cough cough* conspiracy theorists *cough cough*) and everything. So, yeah I don't recommend it. That's my TED talk. Thanks if you took time to read this. Feel free to agree or disagree

[@paolalapenna5733]

Seriously, thank you very much for your videos, their quality and congratulations for the good research that you can provide in 28 minutes. Finally, what a good edition and use of sounds. thank you.

[@sashasscorner]

The problem is not the app... Its how people use it, i have on average 2 hour of usage every day, what its the content i consume? Educational, motivation, spiritual, i even got an internship through Tiktok, so instead of blaming the app... Y'all should look at the content u consume and make the app work for you and not the other way around

[@hanna_kluska_love3550]

your content is like The Wizard Liz had a younger sister/ a Gen Z version of herself :)) I love it, its so refreshing.

[@_dearolive]

Always so excited when you upload!!

[@Cartoonandanimelove1]

If you compare what tiktok content is in China (math, education, children over achieving etc) vs in the US (dances, beauty trends, woke culture) there’s an obvious conditioning happening. The US youth has been dumbing down severely to the point where people no longer think for themselves but simply rinse and repeat what they see online. I’m 22 and I’ve never used tiktok. I’ve never even been tempted to make content on there or consume its content. I’ve seen my friends become clones of tiktok users over the years. It’s scary to see people who had such good critical thinking skills back in HS become tiktok zombies in recent years. Tiktok absolutely takes advantage of the addictive tendencies of these apps. Not the mention the short videos cause our brains to depend on quick dopamine rushes. We become dependent on the fast refresh rate (hence why we get frustrated if the app lags). Media consumption is still a type of addiction. People need to wake up.

[@lala-lr1fy]

Not only us youth but world(

[@nairobi8337]

woke culture ?

[@Nanancay]

Tiktok content in China isn't about maths and education though, Chinese Tiktok/Douyin is used mainly for beauty/comedy/ dance challenges too - but it's definitely less haphazard than the content on western Tiktok and it's a bit more contained.

[@Thistrueone]

I do enjoy Tiktok as a creative inspiration, but I don't want to get hooked on it, so I set myself a timer of 5min on the platform

[@Cassia_kamm]

My family and myself do not use TikTok and, thankfully, never have. Social media is invasive enough, TikTok just takes it to a whole new level.

[@flwr_19]

I've deleted tiktok 2 years ago, the community there is insanely terafing 💀

[@SareBear2000]

I feel like if TikTok gets banned, KZbin shorts is going to blow up and give yt a new awakening

[@bobrobertsNotUrBob]

What I think is disgusting about it, is that it does not pay money to any music artists music used on the app...200 000 000 pays of a video or series of videos that uses your song, you get nothing.

[@danixmichelle]

Girl, you’re so good at these

[@Daemon1995_]

i find your confidence very attractive, idk how to explain it

[@clairestragier9704]

I'm so happy I deleted one year ago, realized how many hours I was spending on it instead of going to the gym, doing my homework, working, spending time with others, at one point I remember I was with friends and one of them just open the app while we were all together like as if she felt the need to waste braincell on it instead of living the present

[@yaeltuttebel]

I’m so happy I’m old enough to use my phone responsibly. I downloaded tiktok in 2020, but deleted it after two months because it was soooo addictive

[@SchwarzSchwertkampfer]

....The Blackout Challenge for 90s kids that has different meaning.

[@sharronkennith7833]

Incredibly informative video. It put into words a lot of things about my own relationship with social media I was having trouble voicing even in my head. Sending this to everyoneeee

[@TheLibroLover]

I love your wit and thorough dives. I shared your channel with my daughter also named Zoë, she’s 16 and we’re all about the oracle you share! ❤ from Texas ❤

[@DJarry394]

I was on Tik Tok for a short time, and dropped it. I found it boring, and brought the worst out of people…over the most insipid stuff. It was like middle school stupidity

[@islalikescds]

ur hair in the thumbnail is giving draculaura and i love it 💗🖤

[@marialobo1623]

I love the "omg they have access to all that" yeah, and so does every website you click "accept all cookies" dummy

[@zuziqs]

I was waiting for you to record something more about how bad tik tok is 👍🏼

[@ema_pz]

I should be studying but this is more important😌 And btw YOUR HAIRRR it looks amazing!!!

[@JaimyW97]

Girl, I LOVE your outfit!!

[@garfieldfan77]

Thank you for another insightful video! Your topics are very interesting and I love how you present it all

[@hanji_08_stay51]

Zoe’s outfit is ✨pure perfection✨

[@jjm10187]

Social media is so bad in general I wa shocked to see what apps were most popular in the us and Reddit being one of them . Everyone’s just anonymously hating on the internet either in comments or behind an anonymous profile. It’s not good for mental health we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and trying to form our likes and dislikes to what others are doing.

[@bforblonde]

If you are in the information-gathering stage about China or are just curious, a good book to read is The Long Game: China's Grand Strategy to Displace American Order by Rush Doshi. It is an in-depth read, it may even be considered an academic read but I think if we are going to be exploring other countries' motives it is good to have some historical background. It is also important to note other countries have found just cause to ban TikTok, mostly on government and work phones. If we trust these countries enough to go to war with them, I think we should trust they have some merit in their decisions. IMO a ban in the US is likely to follow suit, but will stay in-line with other countries and only regulate government and work phones. When it comes down to it TikTok is a social media platform and although it creates and influences trends in our culture, cyber security is a new domain in warfare that has yet to be fully showcased. It is difficult for the average American to truly grasp what sort of capabilities each country possesses. Right now we are having an argument about values and what is truly worth it.

[@DJarry394]

If you use social media as a tool, a place to learn, watch informative videos, discover new films and music and actually question what is popular, in other words get news, it’s great. But there is so much manipulation, and absolute insipid trash, it’s hard for younger minds to dig through to find something valuable

[@CosmicKindness]

If u part your hair on one side it will give you a whole new look especially on the black side with just a lil blonde under one side

[@majamoll958]

i literally had an ad about tik tok business or smth, saying: let tiktok be your friend...

[@mochikinzy4912]

Tiktok is literally a problem lmao what

[@diannekayemontano6845]

the way my attention span managed to finish this whole video

[@islandrebelmakeup4653]

That choking thing was in an episode of criminal minds like 10 years before tiktok, so was it a recurrence of a trend that happened back in like 2009 or is if possible CM influenced that?

[@Ok_lainey]

Man ur voice is so soothing

[@katarzynad6945]

The lace top is so cute, and the cream color omggg

[@userka01]

I deleted it myself because it really wasn’t good for my mental health. It was just too much

[@rhythm0408]

I deleted Tik Tok when I found Out they can Look at what you write on your Keyboard. Besides that, youre pretty af Bro

[@a.k.emerson424]

Im obsessed with your videos. Ive been binging all day 😂😅

[@kayahuasca]

I never downloaded Tick Tock and never missed anything because of that

[@jasminewu325]

That’s y older gen Zs have started deleting tik tok whilst the younger gen Z have no idea how social media is bad

[@betinarexhepi6173]

I downloaded the app and been there for a couple minutes and i had a really high rush of an anxiety attack i coulnd stay there any longer I never used it since I'm to old for that sh*t

[@SchwarzSchwertkampfer]

Technology is a tool to me, so long as the tool serves its purposes as a tool nothing else. I am okay with it.

[@Sunsetsoulssentfree]

So happy i don t use it anymore feel much better

[@Siriusly_Kpopstan_Marvel]

It happens to me when i'm THINKING about something, which is really creepy, also it's not on tiktok (because I live where it's banned) but on insta

[@vintageizabel]

I honestly think Instagram is way worse than TikTok and way toxic.

[@mayakataga9742]

I deleted tiktok 4 months ago and I'm literally never going back

[@insomspace]

I'm non-American and American government collect my data through KZbin, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Cuts both ways.

[@lynxylisa]

The last part of the video reminds me why I love American Gods. Loved this.

[@oreochocolate_lavacake9960]

Tik tok isn't actually the problem I would say the people on the app are the problem cyberbully,unrealistic trends and beauty standards spreading false information I deleted and I feel so much better without it ngl