Addiction “For You”
Disclaimer: Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of those interviewed.
Written in July 2020
“I can’t live without it,” she said, pausing before a lighthearted laugh escaped from her lips. Her slight shrug, pinched eyebrows and dismissive eyes discreetly searched for validation and begged me to say I felt the same. I noticed she had a thick stripe of hot pink hair that screamed, “I'm sixteen.” This moment of confession barely lingered before a ding on her computer screen stole her attention. Isabella Wolfe was talking about TikTok.
TikTok was launched in 2017 and a year later merged with popular social media app Musical.ly. TikTok has since become the 7th most used social media platform with 800 million active users as of April 2020. TikTok is a social networking app that allows users to create 15 second clips to any sound.
When TikTok users aren’t creating content, they are scrolling through their “For You” page, which Wolfe describes as an “endless supply of entertaining videos.” Tia Morris, a 16-year-old TikTok user, says her “For You” page knows exactly what type of videos she wants to watch. TikTok has an algorithm based on what users share, comment on and the amount of time spent on a video that determines what they will enjoy.
Morris, however, finds some videos TikTok suggest too personal and even said she thinks TikTok spys on her. Wolfe also said that videos related to conversations she’s had often show up on her “For You” page. Business Insider reported that Reddit CEO Steve Huffman calls the app, “spyware” and says “it’s always listening.” TikTok responded to Huffman's comments calling them “baseless” and “without a shred of evidence.”
One effect of uber-personalized content is that TikTok users never want to get off the app. It is the “For You” page where Wolfe finds herself “unable to stop” scrolling. Morris says “it is easy to become addicted to the app because it keeps you engaged all the time and you never get bored.” Input reported that in 2018 TikTok responded to these concerns by introducing a system which would encourage users, who have been scrolling for upwards of 90 consecutive minutes, to take a break.
TikTok also promises the possibility of fame. Morris says the reason she downloaded the app was to “get TikTok famous.” In order to be TikTik famous one must go “viral” on the app first. Going viral means receiving hundreds of thousands and even millions of views and likes. Morris has gone viral twice (receiving a collective 366,000 views on both videos), and she enjoyed being able to, “get attention in a very short amount of time.” By keeping up on the latest viral videos and trending hashtags, TikTok creators chase fame and strive to get likes.
As TikTok users chase likes they are also risking possible addiction. A study at Harvard University found that a like on social media can be considered positive social stimuli. The study states that, “Although not as intense as a hit of cocaine, positive social stimuli results in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behavior preceded it.” This means that just like cocaine is highly addictive, “likes” on social media can also become addictive. The Harvard study also mentioned psychologist B.F. Skinner’s idea of variable reward schedules. Variable reward schedules are the ways that social media apps are able to take advantage of users’, “dopamine-driven learning strategy.” The addiction to receiving positive social stimuli from social media takes shape every time you, “check your phone at the slightest feeling of boredom,” as you are hoping to receive a rush of dopamine.
Lucy Parks, a TikTok creator, said, “people need to stop criticizing how much time teens in particular spend on TikTok” because “it is a nice distraction.” But this conviction is not shared by experts. Addiction Center, a web-guide for those who are dealing with addiction, defines Social Media Addiction as, “devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other life areas.” The center notes that d social media use can become dangerous when seen as an escape from reality. In 2018 the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology published a study concluding that the maximum time spent on social media daily should be 30 minutes. In a survey with 25 teenagers recording the time spent daily on TikTok it was revealed that only 16% of teenagers spent an hour on TikTok. With the majority of teenagers, 52%, spending 2-3 hours, 20% spending 4-5 hours and 12% spending 6-7 hours. Yet, TikTok users and content creators, Lucy Parks and Tia Morris both deny being addicted to TikTok.
How many hours do you spend on Tik Tok daily?
After being shown these statistics, Isabella Wolfe, who spends 4-5 hours daily on TikTok, said it doesn’t change her perspective of the app. Wolfe, being the only one who admitted she was addicted says she would not consider deleting the app, as it is, “the best thing in her life, right now.”