3 ms·

TikTok is the worst "brain junk food" platform I've seen. Sometimes people forward me videos from TikTok that have some horizontal video at the top (the one you

TikTok is the worst "brain junk food" platform I've seen. Sometimes people forward me videos from TikTok that have some horizontal video at the top (the one you are supposed to watch, apparently?), and then completely unrelated video game footage as the vertical "background". I don't know if it is intended to hook into some sort of attention hack where they abuse the fact that humans are stimulated by movement and color, so a video with a game background is more appealing/attractive than one without, but it's too much stimulus for me to enjoy it. I try to avoid brain junk food most of the time.

gardenhedge 3y ago
It depends on what you look at. The algorithm learns and basically mirrors your interests. Look at crap and it means you're crap. For example I get great gardening tips, DIY videos and learn something every swipe /s I completely agree with you. It's junk! But expect to see my first paragraph as a common rebuttal.
- thaanpaa 3y ago
  I.e. people who actually use the app are wrong, and you must be right.
  - gardenhedge 3y ago
    I've used the app from an objective point of view. I no longer use the app. I don't think the people promoting it for gardening tips are being objective. The app is _designed_ to keep you scrolling.
thaanpaa 3y ago
My TikTok is filled with electrical engineering, various forms of activism, and so on. I've never seen anything like what you describe, and I've used it a lot. When I first started using it, I noticed a lot of dancing and singing (by very talented people), but those types of videos disappeared quite quickly.
- I_Am_Nous 3y ago
  It's always difficult for me to not sound like a cranky old man when it comes to social media, because there are good things about social media as a concept, and many good things have been done only because of social media's existence. It's not good for me personally though, so I mostly avoid it. In execution, I really don't like how much it tries to hotwire our brains to scroll endlessly/seek attention so it can sneak ads in between. I also don't like how so much of it is geared toward instant gratification. Will we someday feel the same way about social media that we do about tobacco companies? "People willingly addicting themselves to something for the profit of a corporation" sounds dystopian but we've been here for years...
paulddraper 3y ago
> I don't know if it is intended to hook into some sort of attention hack That's exactly it. Your ADHD brain is satiated by the bright color and movement and you pause long enough for the actual content to get the interesting part.

gardenhedge 3y ago

It depends on what you look at. The algorithm learns and basically mirrors your interests. Look at crap and it means you're crap. For example I get great gardening tips, DIY videos and learn something every swipe /s I completely agree with you. It's junk! But expect to see my first paragraph as a common rebuttal.

thaanpaa 3y ago
I.e. people who actually use the app are wrong, and you must be right.
- gardenhedge 3y ago
  I've used the app from an objective point of view. I no longer use the app. I don't think the people promoting it for gardening tips are being objective. The app is _designed_ to keep you scrolling.

thaanpaa 3y ago

My TikTok is filled with electrical engineering, various forms of activism, and so on. I've never seen anything like what you describe, and I've used it a lot. When I first started using it, I noticed a lot of dancing and singing (by very talented people), but those types of videos disappeared quite quickly.

I_Am_Nous 3y ago
It's always difficult for me to not sound like a cranky old man when it comes to social media, because there are good things about social media as a concept, and many good things have been done only because of social media's existence. It's not good for me personally though, so I mostly avoid it. In execution, I really don't like how much it tries to hotwire our brains to scroll endlessly/seek attention so it can sneak ads in between. I also don't like how so much of it is geared toward instant gratification. Will we someday feel the same way about social media that we do about tobacco companies? "People willingly addicting themselves to something for the profit of a corporation" sounds dystopian but we've been here for years...

paulddraper 3y ago

> I don't know if it is intended to hook into some sort of attention hack That's exactly it. Your ADHD brain is satiated by the bright color and movement and you pause long enough for the actual content to get the interesting part.