# What are your thoughts on Tik Tok? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909 "2021-09-01T16:31:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/21 "2021-09-02T16:13:51Z")
I just down loaded the app a few days ago. For some reason Tiktok thinks I’m a country rube that loves Trump. Aside from those videos I enjoy it. I use it mainly when I’m on break at work. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/22 "2021-09-02T16:14:30Z")
I’m 63 and started looking at TikTok after encouragement from my daughter. I also teach Computer Science at a community college, so I wanted to be able to relate to my students. I can recommend it as a great time waster. The short videos are great, since you can simply scroll past something that doesn’t interest you, and they get right to the point (usually). Some of the newer three-minute long videos can drag (a bane of YouTube videos), but they’ve added scroll ability at the bottom to move it along. I enjoy the pet videos, funny pranks, silly “dad” jokes, and just the joy of seeing kids being kids (although I’m not sure I’d want my daughters to be showing their bodies like some do - “my oh my!”). My absolute favorites are the customer service videos showing interactions with crazy Karens. It shows what _not_ to do when dealing with servers, clerks, and customer reps. Back to Computer Science, remember when the previous administration wanted to ban TikTok because of some of the posts? At the time Microsoft was working on acquiring the US portions of the company. I had my students to research why Microsoft would be so interested. The answers were mostly “They want to have a Social Media presence like Facebook”. I then had them investigate further, and they discovered the Artificial Intelligence (“gravedigger”) algorithm is really sophisticated. That’s how they can keep you on the platform for so long, and AI is a strategic goal for Microsoft. (They never acquired TikTok after all.) It’s a good introduction into how sophisticated China’s AI technology has become. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/23 "2021-09-02T16:18:48Z")
I get almost all dancing videos lately. I do enjoy them, but I’d love to see Crazy Karens. I need to check my settings or something. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/24 "2021-09-02T16:29:05Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’m a retired Boomer and I’ve never looked at the site nor am I particularly curious. Frame of reference - I don’t generally watch on-line video content of any type. It’s rare that I watch YouTube or click on video links posted by friends or family. This would fall into that same basket of disinterest. Not against it, just not interested. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > In general, I hate video DIY. People don’t know how to compose, edit, or speak, or turn down the radio in the background. I have never seen one that wasn’t too long by half. That’s probably because they just start talking without a plan or direction. I’m a crankly old curmudgeon and I endorse both of these posts. BTW, get off my lawn. Okay, your dog is cute-- you can stay on my lawn as long as you pick up after Doggie. * * * > [@Noelq](#): > > I’m 54. SO MUCH FUN! Its enjoyable to learn new things, its fun to see the slices of life from other people in locations I’ll never see or visit, and I love seeing kids just be kids - do dumbass skits, sing or dance to things, or jump into lakes. It greatly amuses me that I seem to enjoy watching people ranch or farm, and I LOVE seeing the people interact with baby cows. Its a great app. Damn, you really have spunk. . . . . . I hate spunk. 🤨 (J/k –_hommage_ to the late great Ed Asner.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/25 "2021-09-02T17:20:27Z")
I’ve never tried it. I know that I find the YouTube shorts format extremely annoying, though, and I know that they apparently copied Tik Tok. I’m fine with watching the occasional short video, but it’s not something I want to keep on doing over and over, and I definitely don’t want the next video chosen for me or constantly on loop. I want to see a title, thumbnail, and length of the video and decide myself if I’m interested. And I want all the features that YouTube videos normally have—rewinding, scrubbing, playing in a tiny window on the side, setting the resolution, and so on. I get why YouTube wanted to get in on the short video craze. I do not get why they decided to make a whole new player for shorts that has fewer features. I also just see the word “addicting” as a huge red flag on anything. Something that is addicting is something you still do when you’d rather not, doing it when you’d rather have been doing something else. I know the term is often used in an exaggerated sense, but it still makes me wary when I hear it. This is why I don’t play any free-to-play games, and always ask myself if I’m still actually enjoying any media I partake in. It seems to me that a format of multiple quick videos kinda dampens the ability to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/26 "2021-09-02T17:30:20Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > I’m 60 and I really enjoy it I read this and I thought good for the old man to get into new technology. Then I realized that I am 60 and an old man too. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/27 "2021-09-02T17:36:38Z")
I’m a millennial (barely) and aside from occasionally hearing about the latest moronic Tik Tok challenge or viral dance video I have no thoughts on Tik Tok. I mean that literally I just don’t’ think about it and then something pops up (like this thread) and I go “Oh, ya, that exists” and then I move on to other things. I primarily use social media to promote my businesses so I’m only on Linkedin and Twitter and it looks like one of my companies may start an Instagram. I guess if someone tells me how I can sell more stuff by using Tik Tok I’ll be on that too . . . ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/28 "2021-09-02T18:24:55Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Damn, you really have spunk. > . > . > . > . > . > I hate spunk. 🤨 > (J/k –_hommage_ to the late great Ed Asner.) Hmph. Please put back one of the two portions of Veal Prince Orloff, and have a goodnight. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/29 "2021-09-02T20:42:23Z")
It’s an engaging timewaster. My version of tiktok is like reading a message board with videos. Person 1 says something, then (because they all follow each other) person 2 responds to person 1, then persons 3, 4, and 5 all respond to the same thing, and then person 1 answers back. And in broad strokes, they all agree with me (in broad strokes - though maybe not in the details), because > [@JohnGalt](#): > > the Artificial Intelligence (“gravedigger”) algorithm is really sophisticated It is scarily sophisticated. The videos I see are not the videos you see. There may be some overlap, there may be none at all. (For example, I rarely see DIY. Or farming (unless it’s a thirst trap). I’m not on that side of tiktok) It reinforces your personal echo chamber in a way that almost completely blinds you to anything outside of your bubble. But it entertains enough that you just keep going and going and going. Every so often, it tests to see if there’s something else that you’ll engage with, but it mostly just gives you clips that you’ll like so you keep watching for the next. It is really good at commanding your attention. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/30 "2021-09-03T01:42:20Z")
They only interaction I have on it is when my husband (constantly) sends Tiktoks to me. It irritates me that I can’t jump around in the videos and they are on auto-repeat. ---
**Author:** ![PB\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@PB\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PB_J)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/31 "2021-09-03T01:54:09Z")
I’m 70+ and really don’t care for videos much. However, I somehow put TikTok on my ipad and never looked back. I’m addicted. I really enjoy the funny animals, babies and toddlers. I find myself laughing out loud all by myself. I can spend an hour scrolling through the videos, and just scroll past the ones that don’t interest me. An hour goes by in no time. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/32 "2021-09-03T02:03:31Z")
My daughter has a channel, my Wife shows me when the girl has posted something new. She does cosplay, and was a film and media production major in college. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/33 "2021-09-07T15:18:05Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > [@TRC4941](#): > > > > I’m 60 and I really enjoy it > > I read this and I thought good for the old man to get into new technology. Then I realized that I am 60 and an old man too. 🤨 But I’m a woman! ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/34 "2021-09-07T15:24:12Z")
This may be relevant: [TikTok reportedly overtakes YouTube in US average watch time - The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/7/22660516/tiktok-average-watch-time-youtube-us-android-app-annie) > [@](#): > > TikTok’s users now spend more time each month watching content than YouTube users, according to [a report from app analytics firm App Annie](https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/evolution-of-social-media-report/). In the US, ByteDance’s app first overtook YouTube in August last year, and as of June 2021 its users watched over 24 hours of content per month, compared with 22 hours and 40 minutes on Google’s video platform. In the UK the difference is even more stark: TikTok overtook YouTube in May last year and users there now reportedly watch almost 26 hours of content a month, compared to less than 16 on YouTube. Now granted this is only on Android phones, because they can’t get data for iPhones it seems. And Youtube likely has more total viewship because more users watch or are aware of YT, but an interesting data point. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/35 "2021-09-07T15:55:05Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Now granted this is only on Android phones So all the time I spend watching YouTube on my computer isn’t counted at all, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/36 "2021-09-07T16:06:10Z")
I’m familiar with it but only click videos linked elsewhere. Don’t have the app and have never just trawled through it. Show me the kid playing guitar while some penguin dances and move on. My wife, on the other hand, is on Tik Tok all the time these days on the more opinion-oriented side than the amusing video side and is constantly telling me someone’s hot take on an event. Except I have no idea who these people are so this feels a lot like getting your opinions from random Twitter or Facebook comments only in video form. She also finds weirdly specific strata of Tik Tok to mine: “Oh my God, so I’ve been addicted to Black Trans ADD Covid Nurse Tik Tok and this one woman was saying…” ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/37 "2021-09-07T16:06:59Z")
Most likely only Google knows the answer to that. Third party analysts can measure app data a lot easier than computer data. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/38 "2021-09-07T19:38:41Z")
Completely annoying, from most of the people on there to most of the content to the little logo that keeps dancing down in the lower right corner. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/39 "2021-10-18T21:51:17Z")
A Wall Street Journal report on Tik Tok and children: > **[How TikTok Serves Up Sex and Drug Videos to Minors](https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/tiktok-algorithm-sex-drugs-minors-11631052944)** > > The popular app can quickly drive young users into endless spools of adult content, including videos touting drug use and promoting pornography sites, a Wall Street Journal investigation finds. Also at: [https://archive.vn/cevTm](https://archive.vn/cevTm) ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909/40 "2021-10-19T00:27:36Z")
Today was a bones day. If you know what that is, you are a tik toker [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-tik-tok/949909.md?page=3)