Let’s Talk about TikTok

MY PROFILE THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

I’ve had countless nights where I said I would go to bed on time, but the glow of my cell still illuminated my face as I watched just one more TikTok. Of course, there is always time for one more. I’m not alone in the habit of binging short videos of people dancing to catchy music. TikTok has accumulated over two billion downloads. There are millions of users on TikTok whose sole enjoyment of the app is watching silly videos, catching up on what’s new, and maybe jumping in on the popular trends with their own twist. People use this popular social platform for many different reasons, some positive and some negative. But overall, there’s a sense of familiarity and comfort in staying behind a screen, safe and protected from the awkwardness and messiness of life while watching the awkwardness and messiness of other people’s lives. 

MY REFLEXES BETRAY ME 

Sometimes I open my phone and find myself using TikTok within seconds. How did I get here? Maybe I was checking my messages initially, but I quickly forgot my original purpose and found myself scrolling videos instead. Over 90% of TikTok users are on it for an average of over one hour daily!¹ I didn’t notice how strong the pull was until I tried to delete the app. Afterward, I would open my phone and feel lost because I couldn’t find it, and eventually, I would cave and redownload to post one more video.

Have you ever created a TikTok only to delete it immediately because it didn’t represent you in a way that would be accepted by or interesting to TikTok users? What about when you created a video that didn’t get many views? Did you delete it because it wasn’t popular? There is a distinct way that we want to be viewed by others. We want to be accepted and for people to congratulate and like us. It’s normal to want others to like you, even strangers, and using TikTok is a great way to get immediate attention for our performance. It’s easy to create a persona on TikTok to reflect who we want to be.

I’M NOT A DRONE

I wouldn’t say I liked the version of myself I created on TikTok. It’s not me at all. What I really wanted was community, validation, and connection, but TikTok couldn’t give that to me. I used to think that if I became a Christian, I would become a mindless drone. I thought I wouldn’t be unique or exciting anymore or that God would take away my personality and individuality. It wasn’t until I became a Christian that I realized it was the opposite. Before I started following Jesus, I was just like everyone else and strived to be popular. However, when I became a Christian, I realized that God made me more of myself than I ever could.

I don’t expect you to stop using TikTok. Sure, it can be a time swamp, but that’s not the only problem. The real issue comes when I try to use TikTok to feel better about myself, try to get others to like me more because I use it, or forget that my relationship with Jesus is the only thing that should define who I am. Looking to who Jesus says I should be is the only way to truly understand who I am supposed to be. Looking at my use of TikTok through the Bible’s lens helps me remember who I should imitate. So, I still watch TikTok with my free time between classes, only now it looks a bit different. I’m just fine without it when I have to get to class or head to bed.

_{¹wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/}