Watching that white musical word disappear from my iPhone display screen was extra satisfying than any ASMR video I may ever watch.
After a number of years of spending about 7 hours per week on arguably the trendiest app of the 2020s, I made a decision it was time to say goodbye to TikTok — though I am uncertain if will probably be a everlasting determination.
I created my TikTok account on the pandemic’s begin whereas caught at dwelling with nothing to do. And whereas the previous 4 years have been full of 1000’s of movies I’ll by no means keep in mind once more, TikTok has made me and my thumb very weary over the previous few months.
Two weeks in the past, I made a decision to log off to present my thumbs a break, and thus far, it is felt like heaven.
Why I stop
It isn’t simply me: TikTok’s viewers is now not rising prefer it was a number of years in the past. Enterprise Insider’s Alistair Barr posited that younger folks have been rising up and taking up extra duties, and TikTok was hindering their productiveness.
A supporting statistic is that the app’s common month-to-month customers between 18 and 24 declined by almost 9% within the US from 2022 to 2023, The Wall Avenue Journal reported lately, citing analytics agency Knowledge.ai.
What was true for me, at the very least, was that TikTok took hours away from my day. I began eager about what I could possibly be doing as an alternative: understanding, planning future journeys, getting higher at my hobbies — actually anything.
Nonetheless, my habit may be a consequence of my job: I report on tendencies and really feel stress to remain present.
On TikTok, there’s been a long-running joke that customers of the Zuckerberg-owned TikTok knockoff, Instagram Reels, are all the time behind on what’s cool as a result of no matter you see trending on Reels went out of vogue weeks in the past on TikTok.
TikTok movies additionally steadily drive the dialogue on Elon Musk’s app X. I realized about this glycine meme after each Gen Z on Earth as a result of I received it from Twitter, not TikTok.
The addicting nature of the app’s finely tuned algorithm, analyzed and written about for years, additionally hooked me. High Wall Avenue analysts as soon as in contrast it to crack cocaine. Though I haven’t got expertise smoking crack, I did discover it onerous to remain off the app when it was simply accessible.
Earlier than deciding to delete, I spent 1-2 hours a day scrolling by means of my feed, gleaning a lot details about nothing that mattered. Regardless of being painfully conscious that one other cute canine video wouldn’t materially enhance my life, I might maintain mindlessly shifting on to the subsequent clip.
So, after a very aggressive scroll sesh, I made a decision I had seen the embarrassing reminder asking me to restrict my display screen time one too many instances and unceremoniously relegated TikTok to the app graveyard.
A greater work-life stability
Different Gen Z TikTok addicts who spoke to the Journal shared comparable considerations.
20-something Keilah Bruce advised the Journal she uncared for chores like laundry and dishes to scroll on TikTok. One other, Gautam Mengi, a movie scholar, noticed his grades freefall, and he could not even take out the trash with out the app open.
Fortunately, it by no means received that dangerous for me, however I by no means had time for hobbies. I advised myself I wished to begin understanding extra, get again to studying extra books on my newly bought Kindle, and add the ultimate stitches to my many unfinished embroidery tasks. However TikTok would not let me.
Chances are you’ll count on a dramatic story about me struggling to fill my time and desperately longing to return to TikTok after deleting the app, however that wasn’t the case. I solely tried to go online as soon as as a result of a buddy despatched me a put up. It helped that I had forgotten my password and did not really feel like retrieving it.
And I might by no means need to make a brand new account and retrain the algorithm. It is like getting out of a long-term relationship — what I had with my unique algorithm was actual, and I could not simply soar into one thing new.
TikTok dupes — like Reels or YouTube Shorts — usually are not passable replacements. I do discover myself scrolling by means of them for a couple of minutes a day to get that repair, although.
And if I must search for data on TikTok, like an influencer’s contact data, I restrict myself to an account I solely use on my work laptop computer.
Now I do enjoyable issues, like go outdoors and contact grass. I even encountered a rattlesnake on a hike final week (not as enjoyable). Doing this stuff is much more pleasing than watching them. Who would’ve thought? However maybe most significantly, my general psychological well being improved: I haven’t got that post-scroll remorse that makes me really feel crappy about spending hours of my life I’ll by no means get again.
Will I return?
The selection to return to TikTok could also be taken from me anyway, as a potential ban looms, however I am divided on whether or not I even need to rejoin the app.
TikTok is a superb place to search out younger folks doing inspiring issues. I like seeing how our era makes use of the app to begin and preserve small companies, enact optimistic social change, and use their voices to talk up about points affecting marginalized communities. These are the issues I like and can proceed to put in writing about.
Nonetheless, additionally it is filled with hate speech and trolls, and I might argue that the feedback could be simply as poisonous as X at instances. I’ve discovered that avoiding an infinite stream of transphobia, fatphobia, and ableism is nice for the soul.
So, for now, I am off the app — at the very least till I be taught some self-control.
TikTok didn’t reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
