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This article feels like some combination of wishful thinking and motivated reasoning. TikTok, for better or worse, is definitely not on the decline. As this art

This article feels like some combination of wishful thinking and motivated reasoning. TikTok, for better or worse, is definitely not on the decline. As this article points out, it is still growing its user base, albeit at a slightly lower rate. In other words, TikTok is reaching diminishing returns at scale. Not quite the same thing as decline.

keiferski 3y ago
Yes, if anything, TikTok is more dominant among people under 25, who don't seem to care about Twitter or Facebook at all.
- veunes 3y ago
  Each generation has its own social network
- aedon 3y ago
  I refuse to use any social media like Tiktok, Insta, FB as I know how bad it is for my brain. The younger generation doesn't seem to get this yet. I'll stick to my highly curated X whereby I know I will learn something new when I open it.
  - keiferski 3y ago
    I have found X/Twitter to be way more insular and less educational than TikTok, personally. TikTok has a lot of dumb trendy stuff, but also some really interesting niche channels.
  - UrineSqueegee 3y ago
    the service inherently isn't bad, it's the lack of moderation that's bad, and that responsibility falls to the parents to moderate. If you can't moderate yourself then it's good you're not on those platforms, I have them and only use them when I poop.
  - candiddevmike 3y ago
    I can't tell if this is sarcasm
  - Solvency 3y ago
    I don't even use TikTok and I know this is a ridiculously naive take. TikTok is where all of the content is. Its algorithm is designed to optimize for exactly what you want to see. That's why they're the biggest. If you're into 3D zbrush art, that's what you're getting. If you like hardware hacking, HDR birdwatching, stem cell culturing, and Blender node exploring, guess what? You're getting that content. Do you want to learn everything there is to know about kettlebells? You're in luck. All of the creators, many of the best, are on there putting great stuff out all day. You're sleeping at the wheel if you think everyone is equally logging in and just doomscrolling through dance videos.
  - xnx 3y ago
    Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are all fine but I've never felt any desire to explore them. For me, TikTok has been genuinely delightful and interesting to scroll through. I don't think the TikTok algorithm can quite keep up with my diverse interests (absurdist humor, dance, memes, antique machinery, home improvement, wind turbine and power transmission, cats, etc.), but it has still done a great job of showing me interesting, educational, and emotional (e.g. https://www.tiktok.com/@pinupandpigeons/video/7158233317987454251 https://www.tiktok.com/@pinupandpigeons/video/71582333179874...) things. It definitely displays too many "Live" and "Shop" videos in my feed for my liking, but it also has the most prominent anti-influencer and anti-consumer content I've seen on social networks. TikTok has really changed my thinking about the youngest generation. Before I probably saw the youngest generation as spoiled brats who are ruining everything. Now I see there there plenty of interesting, creative, dedicated, and hard working young people who are probably the best hope for saving things from the spoiled geriatric ruling class that is too immature and selfish to not hoard and consume everything they can, future generations be damned.
- wnevets 3y ago
  Its probably just the algorithm but in my experience people over 30 love TikTok. COVID killed the idea that TikTok was only a young person's app.
  - Jensson 3y ago
    Of the content creators I watch the women seems to talk a lot about Tiktok memes but none of the men has even mentioned anything from Tiktok. So I think 30+ male nerds basically don't use Tiktok, but women do.
    - wnevets 3y ago
      > So I think 30+ male nerds basically don't use Tiktok Your FYP must be very different than my mine. My FYP is filled with 30+ male nerds, many of whom have entire rooms dedicated to TMNT toys.
      - p1esk 3y ago
        What are FYP and TMNT?
        wnevets 3y ago
        FYP = TikTok's For You Page TMNT = Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
      - Jensson 3y ago
        You don't get a good picture of how many in a group uses tiktok by looking at tiktok but looking at them in other places and seeing how many of them there uses tiktok. You can find nerds at instagram as well but that doesn't mean nerds in general are into instagram.
        wnevets 3y ago
        Maybe however you must remember there are magnitudes more people consuming content (lurkers) then are creating content on social media sites like TikTok, Reddit, etc. For example someone like cryptoknight [1] has over 38,000 followers and a million likes, majority of which are probably not women under the age of 25 and aren't nerdy. [1] https://www.tiktok.com/@cryptoknightus https://www.tiktok.com/@cryptoknightus
rc_mob 3y ago
unsubscribe me frome slate and subscribe me to your news service please

keiferski 3y ago

Yes, if anything, TikTok is more dominant among people under 25, who don't seem to care about Twitter or Facebook at all.

veunes 3y ago
Each generation has its own social network
aedon 3y ago
I refuse to use any social media like Tiktok, Insta, FB as I know how bad it is for my brain. The younger generation doesn't seem to get this yet. I'll stick to my highly curated X whereby I know I will learn something new when I open it.
- keiferski 3y ago
  I have found X/Twitter to be way more insular and less educational than TikTok, personally. TikTok has a lot of dumb trendy stuff, but also some really interesting niche channels.
- UrineSqueegee 3y ago
  the service inherently isn't bad, it's the lack of moderation that's bad, and that responsibility falls to the parents to moderate. If you can't moderate yourself then it's good you're not on those platforms, I have them and only use them when I poop.
- candiddevmike 3y ago
  I can't tell if this is sarcasm
- Solvency 3y ago
  I don't even use TikTok and I know this is a ridiculously naive take. TikTok is where all of the content is. Its algorithm is designed to optimize for exactly what you want to see. That's why they're the biggest. If you're into 3D zbrush art, that's what you're getting. If you like hardware hacking, HDR birdwatching, stem cell culturing, and Blender node exploring, guess what? You're getting that content. Do you want to learn everything there is to know about kettlebells? You're in luck. All of the creators, many of the best, are on there putting great stuff out all day. You're sleeping at the wheel if you think everyone is equally logging in and just doomscrolling through dance videos.
- xnx 3y ago
  Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are all fine but I've never felt any desire to explore them. For me, TikTok has been genuinely delightful and interesting to scroll through. I don't think the TikTok algorithm can quite keep up with my diverse interests (absurdist humor, dance, memes, antique machinery, home improvement, wind turbine and power transmission, cats, etc.), but it has still done a great job of showing me interesting, educational, and emotional (e.g. https://www.tiktok.com/@pinupandpigeons/video/7158233317987454251 https://www.tiktok.com/@pinupandpigeons/video/71582333179874...) things. It definitely displays too many "Live" and "Shop" videos in my feed for my liking, but it also has the most prominent anti-influencer and anti-consumer content I've seen on social networks. TikTok has really changed my thinking about the youngest generation. Before I probably saw the youngest generation as spoiled brats who are ruining everything. Now I see there there plenty of interesting, creative, dedicated, and hard working young people who are probably the best hope for saving things from the spoiled geriatric ruling class that is too immature and selfish to not hoard and consume everything they can, future generations be damned.
wnevets 3y ago
Its probably just the algorithm but in my experience people over 30 love TikTok. COVID killed the idea that TikTok was only a young person's app.
- Jensson 3y ago
  Of the content creators I watch the women seems to talk a lot about Tiktok memes but none of the men has even mentioned anything from Tiktok. So I think 30+ male nerds basically don't use Tiktok, but women do.
  - wnevets 3y ago
    > So I think 30+ male nerds basically don't use Tiktok Your FYP must be very different than my mine. My FYP is filled with 30+ male nerds, many of whom have entire rooms dedicated to TMNT toys.
    - p1esk 3y ago
      What are FYP and TMNT?
      - wnevets 3y ago
        FYP = TikTok's For You Page TMNT = Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    - Jensson 3y ago
      You don't get a good picture of how many in a group uses tiktok by looking at tiktok but looking at them in other places and seeing how many of them there uses tiktok. You can find nerds at instagram as well but that doesn't mean nerds in general are into instagram.
      - wnevets 3y ago
        Maybe however you must remember there are magnitudes more people consuming content (lurkers) then are creating content on social media sites like TikTok, Reddit, etc. For example someone like cryptoknight [1] has over 38,000 followers and a million likes, majority of which are probably not women under the age of 25 and aren't nerdy. [1] https://www.tiktok.com/@cryptoknightus https://www.tiktok.com/@cryptoknightus

rc_mob 3y ago

unsubscribe me frome slate and subscribe me to your news service please