Important update from TikTok:
“We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19 and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.”
In the midst of soaking up as much as I could of TikTok the night before the ban was planned to take place, was when this shocking, dreaded notification popped up on my screen and my heart honestly sank. It was not only upsetting that it happened a lot sooner than I was preparing for, but the loss of everything that came with it. Call me addicted, or dramatic, or an overreactor, but it was a genuinely sad moment.
When the TikTok ban happened last month, it honestly affected me a lot more than I thought it would. I probably ran through every emotion out there during that weekend―sadness, anger, confusion, panic, shock, and frustration but at the same time, also relief and curiosity. Relief that it could mean finally breaking my toxic cycle of doom-scrolling and curiosity of what my life and other people’s lives would look like without the addictive platform consuming so much of our time.
“It’s just an app!” is what most would say who aren’t a part of the platform.
It does seem like just an app with a bunch of random funny videos and dances, but there’s a reason why there was such a wide-spread outburst of backlash and sadness about it when word got out that the TikTok ban was happening for real this time.
And in the days leading up to the ban, seeing the outpour of stories from others’ experiences on the app along with their wild nothing-to-lose confessions, really made me think about my own experience on the platform. No, I’m not a big influencer with a crazy million followers or an owner using the app to grow my small business, but just your average user (with not even 100 followers) who just enjoys the platform’s content while occasionally making some of my own.
I originally downloaded TikTok as a joke back in 2020, like many others, at the height of the pandemic. All my friends were on it, practically everyone my age, and all my peers at school. In my mind it seemed like a weird app because I only saw it for its former platform, Musical.ly, and all the cringey videos with their signature hand motions and camera shakes. Eventually curiosity to see what the hype was all about along with constant prodding from my friends and family, finally led me to downloading it. I quickly became sucked into it, and not only because of the crazy amount of free time I had from the world being shut down, but because it was simply a lot of fun. And it was just truly entertaining watching everyone else’s videos. The now-cringey dances, challenges, and trends with my friends and family―I did it all.
TikTok is still an entertaining app to me, but the social media platform also quickly grew into something super meaningful to me. I discovered so many inspiring and motivating people on there that I never would’ve, people that shared my love for all things related to fangirling, the coastal granddaughter lifestyle, grandma hobbies, and so much more. I connected with so many strangers and gained more confidence. It’s helped me worry less about what others think and how to be more of myself by giving me a safe judgement free zone to post whatever I wanted. I learned so many things I was never taught in school like how to file your taxes or the basics of health insurance. It’s also helped me grow in my faith seeing others live out their own. It’s taught me how to romanticize my life, even if it’s the smallest most mundane moments. It helped me expand my own creativity by constantly inspiring me in my own artistic projects. I discovered so many of my now all-time favorite musical artists that I never would’ve known about. It even helped me get my first job when I gathered a plethora of personal tips and tricks from different career creators.
And considering I was just about to graduate at that time made it an even more meaningful experience. When I got hit hard with the post-grad blues, the app became a major source of comfort for me. With algorithm doing its thing as always, I came across a lot of others who were in the same boat who opened up about the unglamorous sides to post-grad life that no one ever talked about.
Simply seeing people in the same part of life as me who felt lost, lonely, struggled mentally, lived at home with their parents, who’d rather spend their night in over going out and drinking, who had a few friends over a big friend group, made things a little more bearable to get through.
It was honestly one of the first times in my life where I actually felt seen and not so lonely about what I was where I was at in my life, what I was going through, and for who I was. Every time I think I’m alone in the things I’m feeling or the things I’m going through, the platform never fails to show me that I’m not alone and that it’s not an original experience I’m having.
I don’t struggle with this as much anymore, but of course now being in the thick of my twenties along with a lot of other life things, the app continues to be a similar source of comfort for me as I navigate all the challenges of life and being a relatively fresh new adult.
So to me, it’s more than just an app, it’s a community, a safe place, and a creative outlet. I think the app has single handedly changed my life, which I can’t say about any of the other social media platforms. I’ve also seen how it’s changed other lives, including people meeting and marrying their significant others, the way one viral video stopped a restaurant from going out of business, and someone getting the financial support they needed in the time of a crisis. And unlike most of the other social media platforms with the more curated highlight reel type content, its raw and unfiltered content is something that hasn’t been able to be quite replicated, which is a testament in itself of why it’s had the impact it has.
I will shamefully admit though, like many others, that I am addicted to the app and don’t have the healthiest relationship with it. It’s something I’m still working on, but the app still manages to have a meaningful impact on my life in so many different ways. Whether the TikTok does end up sticking around or not, I am grateful for all that it’s brought me.
