I’m 3 months “TikTok clean” – Here are my takes
Before starting my first semester of college, I felt an urge to make many life changes. I wanted to begin a new chapter of my life by eliminating habits and hobbies that I felt were no longer benefiting the person I wanted to be. Some of these adaptations were more drastic than others, ranging from reading more nonfiction to converting out of vegetarianism after eight years. One of my more difficult choices led to me deleting TikTok.
I finally deleted the app in mid-August, right before moving into school. The after-effects were funnily shocking. I genuinely believe that I experienced withdrawals. It was slightly embarrassing but eye-opening to the amount of time that had been sucked into endless scrolling on my phone.
Taking TikTok out of my social media folder, although a little painful, overall helped me reduce the time on my phone as a whole. I noticed an almost 1-2 hour average reduction in weekly screen time in contrast to the summer. I also noticed benefits for my mental health. I felt that I experienced less guilt relating to the time spent on my phone or screens. I also felt that my productivity had increased as I spent more time exercising, reading or being with friends.
When classes started, these benefits only increased. I felt more inclined to do my homework or contribute to my hobbies that I didn’t appreciate as much previously. If I was spending time on my phone or screen, it was more often keeping in touch with friends at other schools or watching movies with my roommate. My screen time became related to socialization and contact with others, in contrast to being captivated by the continuous cycle of sixty-second clips. My relationship with my phone and devices has changed and became healthier.
In contrast, I also had some unexpected negative impacts of no longer using the app. I have begun to understand, especially now being a college student, the power social media holds over my generation. Whether it was the first week of school and every person I met was asking for my Snapchat to keep in touch or knowing other students on the street from Instagram, social media is an important factor in college life.
By deleting TikTok, I suddenly realized that I was missing out on an aspect of culture and humor for my generation and friends. People made jokes or referenced videos that I hadn’t seen, causing a need to explain my separation from the app. Entertainingly, people almost immediately react with respect or recognition. Too often I have been met with “Wow! Good for you!” or an ever-funny “I could never!” I hadn’t expected to feel so removed from my peers over something as silly as a social media platform, especially when I am equally aware of the benefits of the choice.
In battling with the fear of missing out and the simultaneous desire to stay academically successful, I have come to terms with my decision to stay off the addicting app. Although it can sometimes feel as though I need to be on social media to stay knowledgeable of pop culture, I have also grown to appreciate the way that these platforms manufacture themselves to influence negative habits. I have felt significant increases in the positivity surrounding my self-perception and a decrease in my anxieties over the past few months, and I feel strongly that this can be at least partially contributed to no longer using TikTok.