As of last year in 2024, Tik Tok became the number one most downloaded app of the year with over 1,925 billion users globally being active monthly on it. Yet, just because it’s popular, it has come to my realization if TIk Tok has benefited society for the better or worse.
Showing quite clearly that Tik Tok is very popular, almost anywhere you look someone will be on Tik Tok and scrolling. This way, I would say that Tik Tok has benefited society in some positive ways, starting off by making it a part of teens’ everyday life. Not only are teens scrolling past random nonsense, but many videos that I have even personally come across have given news information that I would have just gone with on my day if I saw it on the news. Additionally to the news info, I have also gathered information that has helped me in everyday life, like in school, future career, and the basics like in cooking or random inspo. Apart from Tik Tok assisting my personal needs, other people have found ways for it to benefit themselves. For example with struggling individuals or small businesses who could use the extra recognition, Tik Tok has provided that support just by the posting of one video that can go viral. Overall allowing people to creatively express themselves, pursue their dreams and gain multiple advice.
Even so, with so many great qualities that come from Tik Tok, it’s not all educational knowledge and advice that come from it. As I mentioned before, Tik Tok has been a part of teens’ everyday life for quite some time now. And with that, it has also been seen to essentially consume too much of people’s lives. Making people sometimes lack the focus on their true responsibilities as well as necessities and instead end up scrolling on Tik Tok for endless hours and gaining unnecessary news like the lattests brain-rot phrase. Furthermore it was during the Covid years when people were not leaving their house and had nothing else to do but connect socially with others online. And although it allowed people to connect, it also made them heavily rely on its aspects.
Therefore with the recent Tik Tok ban that occurred, people’s views on its farewell were taken upon two different sides. One group of people, myself included, looked for alternatives for the app instead of having to let go of all its good attributes. Yet another set of people came to the decision of letting go of the app and continue on without Tik Tok’s addictive characteristics.
So is Tik Tok really beneficial or is it just another compelling and superficial app?
