With the recent shutdown of TikTok that lasted less than a day, it really got me thinking about all the influence the app has had on me. First downloading the app at the age of 13, I am 18 now, I have come to realize that I practically have grown up scrolling the for you page. From edits to book recommendations to dancing videos I have practically seen it all and I want to share how exactly the app has shaped some of my main interests.
I can pinpoint the exact moment that an edit changed the trajectory of my life (no exaggeration). I am certain that we all are no strangers to TikTok edits and how iconic the Timothee Chalamet edit in 2020 was. If you have no idea what I am talking about then I am certain you have been living under a rock because this was life-changing. I remember setting it as my lock screen and obsessing over him that whole year. I watched all his movies and saw myself fall back into my fangirl lifestyle. After him followed a long list of celebrities that I have obsessed over because of a single edit.
Booktok is a side of TikTok that I found myself in during 2022 and that kickstarted my love for reading. I don’t even remember how exactly I got there but all I knew was that it was exactly where I needed to be. I found myself scrolling through videos of certain books with a Taylor Swift song in the background. All these videos were added to a folder and the list of books I wanted to read was growing by the day. I had never stepped foot into a bookstore before, but that summer it was basically the only place I would go to. I found myself reading a book, going on TikTok to find another, and reading again. It was a lifestyle that had stemmed from those 30-second videos. Those bright-colored books that were filled with cliches from cover to cover sparked a continuing love for reading.
I have a confession to make, tiktok edits are the only way I can get myself to watch a show or movie. Thirty-second edits with whatever love song in the background are the only motivation and inspiration I need to sit through hours of a show or movie. Before and after watching something I have to make sure to completely spoil most scenes before I even think about sitting down and indulging in said show or movie. I have sat through some of the best most life-changing forms of entertainment to some of the worst “what am I even watching” forms of entertainment. No matter what experience I get, I will always find myself engaging in the same process over and over again.
As I sat there thinking about all the influence that this app has had on me, I thought about all the positives and negatives it has brought to my life. Focusing on the positives, I am grateful that I have all of this at my fingertips and that I have grown an extensive list of interests (and shows to watch) just from scrolling through videos that others have made.