I’m not really interested in providing all that data on my usage, financials and whereabouts to the government of China so I don’t use TikTok.
I really hate TikTok, especially its banner. Those short videos are really putting humor down to absurd.
But, TikTok’s popularity will continue to rise. Some of the girls are using it as a softcore version of OnlyFans.
I stumbled on this article - https://streammentor.com/best-tiktok-thots/
I still cannot belive they allowed them to post content like that on the platform.
I find tiktok infuriating and youtube has also gotten annoying since they started trying to make me watch youtube shorts. They are almost always a group of young people jigging about doing something unfunny (yes, “get off my lawn”).
-but-
I sometimes watch a few youtube channels that are compilations of amusing or surprising clips: channels like Daily dose of internet, Zorro and Gooddays. A guilty pleasure. And a lot of their clips seem to be sourced from tiktok.
Which implies that if I actually spent time on tiktok, letting the algorithm know my preferences, that I would actually receive content that I would like. Or at least find somewhat amusing.
I’ve only experienced TikTok second hand in the form of people showcasing some of the worst content on it - for example 74Gear’s TikTok Roasts on YouTube - a professional 747 pilot debunking some of the utter (and sometimes dangerous) BS on TikTok that masquerades as advice or information.
I think it’s fair to say that my views of the platform may have been jaundiced by that selection process.
My expectation, based on this admittedly skewed view, is that TikTok videos comprise a presenter, acting as though they are perhaps desperate to pee, or sitting on an anthill or something, flailing around, ducking in and out of shot repeatedly, against a badly keyed background, excitedly spouting misinformation. Example at 4:23 in this video:
Never had it but I’ve seen some videos on other sites making the rounds. Not sure I’d really enjoy it if I did get it. I have a big problem with social media personalities and the levels people will go to to become famous.
I got a new phone and could finally run the app without lag. Discovered that TikTok is terrible, but I’ve also gotten it to feed me 90% funny dog and kid videos, so I’ll continue to check in now and again. After all, even a bad funny dog and/or kid video is good, and some of them are actually awesome.
Age 61 - zero interest. I periodically use YouTube - most often to view/hear music. But I have absolutely no interest in watching short clips of anonymous people seeking attention. Of course, I never read Tweets either. And it is rare that I enjoy supposedly humorous/interesting short vids for forward to me.
I use my phone pretty exclusively for making/receiving phone calls/texts. It may be my age, but I do not care for reading texts/websites, or watching video on a phone. But I generally have my laptop readily at hand.
I’m never in a situation where that appeals me as a manner in which I wish to pass/waste time. I can get enough of that from SDMB and another forum or 2. 
The TikTok clips I see posted to other sites are very annoying, especially the ones with that computer-generated voice. There are some interesting videos posted to TikTok, but it’s hard for me to get past the TikTok packaging. It’s like if I had to watch Citizen Kane with a FoxNews logo in the corner.
I was introduced to it as a toy for children (my friend showed me her kids’ TikToks), and I still see it that way.
Our new cell phone has the “feature” of constantly adding unwanted apps. And Tik Tok is one of these. Grr.
The Tik Tok/Instagram mentality unfortunately spreads to other platforms. E.g. YouTube now allows people to upload similar clips complete with the lack of normal video controls (e.g., to skip ahead and such). Um, why not keep the usual controls for these videos???
“Repent, Tik Tok!” Said the Harlequinman.
So, not so terrible?
I don’t do the app. Neither do I browse from any other platform (does TikTok do a web page?)
My exposure to the format is stuff linked from Reddit. Which is one video at a time, usually topical to the subreddit I happen to be reading, and no linking to the next video or looping.
As such, it’s just another format for video content based on a content-organized aggregator. And that’s just fine by me. The difference between ordering tapas and pulling up a chair to an all-you-can-eat buffet line.
All algorithmic social media is intellectual poison. And TikTok is probably the worst of them, in that their algorithm is so effective in capturing people’s attention while offering absolutely nothing of value.
The algorithm is controlling you. It’s amazing to hear people deny this and yet admit that they waste hours of time on the site while barely even perceiving the time.
Knowing the influence of the algorithm is of no help. It’s like saying you won’t get addicted to heroin if you know it’s addictive. The only way to avoid the influence is to not expose yourself to it.
It’s hard to use the internet at all while entirely shielding yourself from the influence of algorithmic manipulation, but it’s definitely possible to avoid the worst of it.
Before I got it to feed me only 1% bad stuff (90% funny dogs and kids, 9% other not terrible stuff) it was a lot of bad stuff. Like nonsense food videos created solely to drive (negative) reaction (tiktok algorithms don’t care if you are angry or happy, as long as you interact), neighborhood feuds, sob stories, shitty compilations of stolen content, boring challenges and I know not what.
I respectfully disagree. TT is probably one of the best apps out there. Unlike other platforms your going to be exposed to different views. It’s the only app that isn’t an echo chamber.
Also I see breaking news on TT way before I see it on the major news sites. Gen Z is more politically aware, at a younger age, then any generation that I’m aware of because of this app.
As long as said view can be compressed into 3-minute chunks. And, if this thread is any indication, it still consists mainly of dancing and funny pet videos.
Echo chambers are bad, certainly. In terms of political manipulation, Facebook is probably worse. TikTok seems more like a cognitive casino that steals your time more than anything.
Every indication I’ve seen (either anecdotally or by observations from trustworthy people) is that the TikTok algorithm is genuinely more effective than other sites in capturing people. And it’s very clearly tuned to the individual. That’s a dangerous combination even if it’s not yet acting maliciously.
I have Tik Tok and I watch it now and again. It used to be a big time drain for me, but my feed recently changed to show me almost nothing but dancing clips. And one comic I enjoy.
I would like more Gen Z political content, but I don’t see it. So I have drifted away from using it much.
It would be interesting to know how much time is spent watching TikTok on computers. To the extent that I watch at all, that’s pretty much how I do it.