I'm Sorry, But What Is TikTok?

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And, to be honest, I am not too sure about the latter" - actual Albert Einstein quote

I am sorry, I just do not get it. Though many cite literature about TikTok being the next best thing for the social media marketing world, I repeat:

I just don't get it.

Here's My First Experience With A Side Of WTF

I log in, and when I do, I am entranced by the marvel of...well, let us call a spade a spade: utter chaos and conscientious stupidity. I clicked around a bit, much like I often do, and the first video I saw was of a young girl dancing in her room.

(P.S. Yes, I am aware that this is an immature rant, but whatever.)

She tripped, fell, and for 5 seconds, I could have sworn she was unconscious.

The video ended there with a link to her Patreon account. When I went to donate, I saw that $5,000 or so had already been compiled.

So, let me get this straight: if I go to, say, a local mall and just fall down a lot, people will like me? Is that what this is about? Or does it go deeper?

Oh, It Does Go Deeper

TikTok rewards stupidity and this is not by accident.

It is how the algorithm for TikTok is trained. Because its purpose is to make you watch, thus fueling ad streams for whatever dumb person created this thing, statistics state that most of the more "controversial" videos show up first.

Second, TikTok is being banned across the globe, probably for the same reason: to prevent stupidity. I am not joking: the actual case is to prevent stupid people.

"The Loneliness Generation," AKA Gen Z, is taking to this app like it were a drug

. In fact, it kind of is. Did you know that when you get a "Like" on social media, a neurotransmitter called "dopamine" is released?

It is the "reward chemical, so yes, your body will physically reward a like. I argue that this is anthropological, as all things equal, we had to feel a natural sense of well-being to maintain the interconnected spectrum of the human entity.

Furthermore, a recent study has shown that TikTok causes anxiety. Not to the 16-24-age demographic viewers but what I can assume are also the parents of these poor kids, dancing and falling like porcelain dolls.

Is This For Marketers?

Yes, if you are targeting the lowest common denominator, albeit the "D-student" of social media platforms. TikTok's predominant userbase consists of Gen Z and what I have termed: "Zillennials," who are somewhere in that "gray area."

(Of course, others partake. I have no clue as to why).

So, yes, TikTok advertising works. In fact, if a business goes through the channel, supplying content, they are able to reach that 1.66 billion user database.

However, remember something:

A good man brings presents. A hero gives gifts.

In other words, please, please, please do not let this nuisance continue.

I agree, it is a great medium to advertise on, and I agree, it is where aneurysms are born. The content you are creating may be utilitarian, and that is okay.

However, be careful what kind of utilitarianism you wish to deliver.

Also, note that TikTok has been measured scientifically as a gateway platform, perhaps desensitizing an entire generation of brain cells we all vitally need to make it through the next four years of...what is a good word for: "AAAH?"

Useful But Useless

Furthermore, TikTok user growth seems to be sloping. Remember Bitcoin? Yeah, I do, too. It did this same pungent aspect: it showed massive growth and then began to slow down. I also recall Hurricane Andrew doing the same.

They said it would turn north but nope, it plunged itself into South Florida, and almost destroyed my home.

So do not put all of your eggs into this basket just yet. I know, the sensationalism of "what's trending" makes sense, but why are we kidding ourselves believing that this platform can actually be utilized in a marketing world?

Half of the users on this platform have no idea what "utilized" even means...

A Very Scary Quote

I quote an article by UMN:

"The research participants also expressed difficulty discerning when TikTok creators are posting emotional or intense mental health content genuinely..."

Sounds a bit frightening, right? Imagine a virus larger than COVID-19 on an incremental scale of nervousness. Now imagine that virus being sucked through your iPhone, as you participate in a non-participatory game.

Now, I am not saying do not use TikTok. I am simply saying that, as a marketer, it may not be all you desire. It may be good for the time being, and as we all know, we have to adapt to our times; it is evolution in action.

But We Need To Stop "Stupid"

A wise comedian once said:

"You can't fix stupid."

It is true: you cannot. However, you can prevent it. I would like to see this social platform go away quickly before it warps our brains into sawdust. I am not trying to throw you under the bus, but be careful with this social network.

I say this with sincerity: I have no judgment toward TikTok creators.

I find your fashion quite fancy, but please, for the love of God, get off of your iPhone. We are disconnected as a species, and we need to worry about another golden gem, too, many of whom have termed: "The Metaverse."

That will be for tomorrow. For today, be wary. Don't slip and fall without filming it. Don't dance without filming it. Don't forget that algorithms rule your lives and that we can break the vicious cycle if we choose to do so.

This has been a rant from "The Content Marketer's Diary" and shall be deemed as such. If my tone was off-set, then my intention was accomplished.

Now go dance...