In January I deleted TikTok, I didn’t intend to delete the app but it happened and this is what occurred in the week following.
The initial withdrawal syndrome – Social media can be an addiction and although I didn’t feel like I was addicted to TikTok I did spend a solid 30 minutes to an hour each day scrolling through videos. At first, I naturally started to watch more Instagram reels and YouTube shorts but those just really aren’t the same as TikTok. There is something about the creepy TikTok algorithm that puts videos on your for you page from what feels like literal mind-reading that just can’t be surpassed by other platforms.
I felt like my days got longer – without spending time on TikTok I felt like my days got instantly longer and I would think to myself “wow I literally have free time” I decided to make use of my free time.
What I did with my free time – During the first week of the quarter, I applied for two jobs, read a paper book, got ahead on homework assignments and reading assignments, and felt overall less stressed and more productive.
Where I am now – Today just over a month later I often forget that the world of TikTok exists. I still have my account and have gone to TikTok through my web browser about twice to watch videos from my friends but I don’t feel the need to scroll beyond that. At first, I thought that I was missing out on all the popular trends but I now realize that there is so much more to living than keeping up with internet trends and my life just got 1 hour fuller each day.