The Troubling Reality of TikTok: What Will Our Children Inherit?
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Chapter 1: Understanding TikTok's Impact
As a member of Generation X, I have extensive experience with social media, having spent over two decades immersed in its evolution. While engaging with various platforms comes naturally to me, I prefer not to create or appear in videos. However, I found myself at a crossroads when my work opportunities dwindled, as brands increasingly demanded TikTok presence. Reluctant to learn yet another platform, I faced financial strain as companies shifted their focus.
To adapt, I reluctantly joined TikTok, began exploring the content, and started to share a few posts. What I encountered was alarming: users, particularly Gen Z girls, often presented themselves in revealing outfits discussing intimate topics, yet rarely promoting any monetized platforms like OnlyFans. I questioned the motivation behind this behavior; after all, likes and fleeting online fame hardly pay the bills.
Notable trends on TikTok include bizarre culinary experiments like NyQuil chicken. This peculiar dish, which involves cooking chicken in cold medicine, has drawn FDA warnings due to its potential dangers, yet it gained popularity among users unaware of its risks.
Section 1.1: The Nature of Content on TikTok
Many posts strive to reinvent the wheel by presenting outdated concepts as innovative. There’s an abundance of sex tips and detailed personal anecdotes that blur the lines of privacy. Additionally, numerous "hacks" that TikTok claims to have invented have actually been around for years.
Subsection 1.1.1: The Dangers of Digital Footprints
Section 1.2: What Were They Thinking?
Reflecting on the more provocative content raises a critical question: Are users considering the potential long-term impact on their children or grandchildren? In the 1990s, I was advised in college to refrain from posting anything I wouldn’t want preserved online indefinitely. I have adhered to this principle for over 20 years, a guideline many influencers and bloggers also respect.
However, TikTok seems to have dismantled this caution, allowing a wave of unrestricted content creators. If users are not promoting their OnlyFans or sponsored products, what compels them to invest time in this platform? Internet notoriety is transient, but digital content can persist indefinitely with a simple search.
In conclusion, I struggle to see the merit of TikTok unless one is directly profiting from it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll return to my more familiar grounds of Facebook and Instagram.