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So here’s my tinfoil hat theory. When I watch Tik Tok (and I am fully aware my feed is different from others), I become genuinely happy. I see people singing, c
by voisin 4y ago
So here’s my tinfoil hat theory. When I watch Tik Tok (and I am fully aware my feed is different from others), I become genuinely happy. I see people singing, creating music together via duets, showing homesteading skills, teaching things they know, telling funny jokes, etc. I never see dangerous challenges, though I am not a teen. Here’s the tinfoil hat theory: Tik Tok is what social media was meant to be, but unlike American social media giants that made their deal with the devil and drive growth via separating and polarizing people, Tik Tok makes people feel like the world isn’t a scary awful place with “them vs us” mentality, and so it poses a threat to our political culture which feeds off division.
All I know is that when I go on Facebook I just see angry boomers being quasi political, when I go on Instagram I am filled with envy, when I go on twitter I feel overwhelmed by the sheer flood of information and vileness, and when I go on Tik Tok I feel happy and a new ambition to pick up the guitar again.
- ThalesX 4y agoTikTok is the only social media app I use anymore. I didn’t even change my default ‘user12345’ account nor have I linked anything to it. I also consume it differently than I used to do the others, by going maybe once per week or two and binge for a couple of hours. It fills me with joy and ideas just as you say.
- gardenhedge 4y agoSo what is the social aspect if you're not connected with anyone?
- voisin 4y agoThis is a valid point. I am not the poster you are responding to but the top level poster. I too don’t follow people I know and perhaps that’s the difference from the social platforms. In that regard it is more like YouTube, but unlike YouTube, the algorithm isn’t radicalizing me other than making me want to learn guitar again. So what is it about YouTube that makes people more likely to become radical incels willing to shoot up a school, and TikTok makes people more like to learn a new dance routine and leave with a smile?
- gardenhedge 4y agoI disagree with the premise of the question with regards to YouTube and TikTok.
- skinnymuch 4y agoHas no shooter etc been linked to tiktok usage? I assume it’s just because tiktok is newer and it has a more specific demographic
- ThalesX 4y agoI am not linked in the sense of my having provided only minimal information. I do follow people, of course; however, the fun part of TikTok is the random awesome people that pop up. You can be a nobody in the middle of nowhere with no followers and if you have a cool concept it will spread out.
- nonamenoslogan 4y agoInteractions, Q&A, and inspiration for hobbies doesn't take "knowing" the creator.
- skinnymuch 4y agoHow is it social media then?
- voisin 4y agoI just replied to a similar sister comment.
- ThalesX 4y agoHow is it not social media? It’s literally media that is distributed in a social way.
- skinnymuch 4y agoI mean how is it social media for the person if they don’t use any social aspect of it.
- nonamenoslogan 4y agoMe too. I haven't used Facebook since 2010, Twitter since 2016, and I recently closed out my Instagram after using it since 2012ish. Tiktok has almost zero of my info besides my email address, a few videos I've uploaded, and my watching preferences. I'm actually fine with data collection on the location/watching habits/likes--it gives me more relevant content.
- mantas 4y agoUS social media amplifies human nature which isn't pretty. Meanwhile CCP's love to building facades of utopias produces this... Utopias are nice till you step out of line and it becomes dystopia, eh?
- voisin 4y ago> US social media amplifies human nature which isn't pretty. If you only consume western media and social networks, this is certainly the conclusion you are led to. But if you observe your surroundings with your own eyes, my experience is that there is a stark contrast with the above quote. I have travelled continuously all over the west for the last five years and I have found people to be kind, generous, and friendly. There’s money and power in dividing people. I don’t think we are as divided as the news media and social networks would have us believe.
- mantas 4y agoMajority of people ain't on social media either. Well, they may be lurking or registered at most, but won't post or comment much if at all. And then there's a portion of nice people who will befriend you and then use for their benefit. And then there's one's own bias. When traveling, at a random city in foreign country you'll probably pick a bar accordingly, skip heated topics and distance yourself from people that may cause trouble. Meanwhile engagement-driven interwebs make sure you meet such people and keep discussing.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- rossdavidh 4y agoI agree that my experience with FB/Twitter vs. TikTok is as you describe. I'm not sure that our political leadership understands how social media work well enough to see what you're describing. I do think that they are angsty about a foreign government having control over a major social network. Imagine if a partially Chinese-owned company had to make the call of whether or not to ban the account of a sitting US President, for example. Plus, I have zero doubt that the US government requires Microsoft, Facebook, and other US tech companies to give them access to data in extremis, and there's no reason for the US gov't to expect China not to.
- gardenhedge 4y agoI get pissed off at TikTok all the time. Most of the videos are awful. TikTok trends include all the showboating that Instagram has.
- stjohnswarts 4y agoThere are some very vile areas of tiktok with white supremacy and lgbqt+ hate and those are as easy to get to as dance videos of chinese algorithm designers see that you're watched one of those, or just randomly throw one up in front of you and see if you immediately kill it or watch it all the way through. This isn't rocket science level of propaganda/and brainwashing.
- sumnole 4y agoI have been on TikTok since release and have never seen any tiktoks of the categories you mention. Can't even find them with a hashtag search.
- stjohnswarts 4y ago
- rcpt 4y agoUrbanism TikTok comment sections are the absolute worst out of all the apps. Completely made up economics on a level that surpasses FB and I just can't believe how many tankies are in there. The algorithm is the perfect soap to blow filter bubbles with. Crazy but Twitter has better content when it comes to bike lanes.
- nonamenoslogan 4y agoI completely agree. Another thing I like is that Tiktok is also nearly completely anonymous. I don't see anyone I know on there, showing me their stupid kid videos or telling me about the latest thing they just bought. I see OTHER PEOPLE's kid videos and things they bought and if I don't want to see them, I just scroll on.
- dirtyid 4y agoTiktok is an extention of lessons learned by Douyin - content that survives crucibles of PRC censorship are wholesome, not divisive (promotes political serenity) and hits the dopamine button just as hard. And if Douyin ecommerce integration is any sign, also wildly profitable. TBH, PRC has absolutely been precient on web moderation in general, i.e. facebook and twitter got the boot when they refused to censor calls of violence post 2009 minority riots. A few years later, western platforms forced to up the moderation game due to violence in the west, incidentally when they tried to get back into PRC market. After building (filtering (read: censorship) tools for western markets that can be transplanted to satisfy PRC legal requirements. Some lessons to learn even if US decides to ban TikTok, don't have to go full douyin/PRC, but going full facebook/twitter/free speech hasn't worked so well either.