>since the app offers no option to share selectively, posts are instantly available to everyone This is not true, there are many ways to restrict who can see v

>since the app offers no option to share selectively, posts are instantly available to everyone This is not true, there are many ways to restrict who can see videos you post on TikTok. You can set it to "followers only" or "friends only" where only mutuals see. There's even an option to make a video completely private - only viewable by you. This is common knowledge for anybody who has used the platform in more than just the most cursory of ways, and I suspect that the author has not. Furthermore, the article makes the point that most people (2/3rds) consume TikTok instead of making content for it, then spends the rest of the article comparing it to reality television. People post all kinds of content to TikTok. Short form sketches, their music, short dramatic films. >The term “attention economy” captures the extent of this domination: To be considered worthwhile, ideas must first entertain. Here is a 3 minute video of a transgender person talking about the unique way they connected to the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion: https://www.tiktok.com/@justnausicaa/video/7253444290603388206 https://www.tiktok.com/@justnausicaa/video/72534442906033882... It made me think about the series in a way I never had before, and it's just a person talking to the camera. No jump cuts of "vlogger voice." Then there's satire, where a point is made through comedy: https://www.tiktok.com/@bjcalvillo/video/7231313547857349930 https://www.tiktok.com/@bjcalvillo/video/7231313547857349930 Here's a short clip of a speech Ursula K Le Guin, famed 20th century science fiction author gave in 2014: https://www.tiktok.com/@leftoftheprojectorpod/video/7210068612265135403 https://www.tiktok.com/@leftoftheprojectorpod/video/72100686... Here's something that is closer to what the article describes, but I think it's beautiful: https://www.tiktok.com/@dutchdeccc/video/7223142742933703978 https://www.tiktok.com/@dutchdeccc/video/7223142742933703978 All of these came across my "For You" page in the past couple months. As humans, might we be "wired" to view images of people communicating an idea as more exciting than text? Maybe. But I remain unconvinced that TikTok is somehow "worse" than anything else.