We have all heard of TikTok, and most of us probably use it, or have used it. We constantly get told that social media is bad, and we need to spend less time on popular social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. But why exactly is this, and how does it affect our mental health. In both positive and negative ways.
Memory
TikTok can massively affect our short term memory. When you’re scrolling for hours on end, you become completely oblivious to your surroundings, you stop hearing the sound of traffic going by, you forget about all the things on your extensive to do list that you have to get done before tomorrow, and you stop thinking about how warm it is in your room. If you become blind to your surroundings, in the future you will only remember the TikToks you were watching, and even then the memory will be blurred because watching hundreds of similar TikToks on end will start to blend into one.
Many times it has been proven that being fully aware and attentive improves your overall memory. So if you are glued to your screen for hours just watching TikToks, your memory will gradually decline. Additionally, in the future, all of your memories are just going to consist of watching TikToks on repeat instead of having fun with friends and doing things that make us happy.
Negative impacts on mental health.
In some cases, TikTok can be used to ridicule and bully people that you know from school, or even people you have never personally met. Alternatively, people can get bullied from rude and hurtful being commented on a video. This obviously hugely affects people on the receiving end of this. Additionally, when scrolling through TikTok you are often faced by lots of videos, and thirst traps, of people looking their best, with a filter on, and in perfect lighting with a face full of makeup lip syncing to a popular TikTok sound. This makes people assume that that’s what they look like on a daily basis, at all times of the day. Inevitably, this can make people more insecure about themselves and their looks.
People often post ‘day in the life’ or ‘morning routine’ videos, or even a photo dump from the previous month. These videos create an unrealistic portrayal of how everyone should live life, and a normal lifestyle. Obviously these videos aren’t 100% accurate, as they are romantcised, and all the bad or non interesting parts of the day/month are taken out. Videos like this can make people feel insecure about their life being to ‘boring’ or ‘uninteresting’. And people can feel like they need to be more exciting to fit in with their peers.
Positive impact on mental health.
Believe it or not, it’s not all bad, there are some good ways that TikTok affects our mental health.
One way that TikTok impacts your mental health in a good way is validation. People who may feel alone or isolated in their struggles can get the validation and inclusion they need on TikTok. Additionally, TikTok creates a community where everyone can relate to each other, and in some cases people can even form friendships with people they have met online.
References:
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/34138/20211025/tiktok-bad-brain-constant-social-media-streaming-narrows-collective-attention.htm
https://onezero.medium.com/the-psychology-of-tiktok-f10bc1506f1a
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Tiktok-is-the-most-harmful-for-your-mental-health
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/01/18/digital-crack-cocaine-the-science-behind-tiktoks-success/?sh=63d4bb3d78be
http://campusbeat.in/youtube-vs-tikto/
https://smartsocial.com/post/negative-impact-tiktok
https://www.communicatingpsychologicalscience.com/blog/tiktok-on-the-brain
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-01-05/those-struggling-with-mental-health-have-found-validation-on-tiktok-heres-how
Photo Credits:
Martini Archives
