Why Are We So Hooked On TikTok?
The coronavirus has derailed our daily routines and left us with no choice but to be quarantined at home. This disruptive virus has forced us to be creative on how can we be productive with our time. Most of us are glued with Netflix and their social media accounts all day long. Donned with their acting and dancing skills, some have joined the bandwagon of the smash-hit TikTok craze.
The fascination, though, and the craze for it has not been put into waste as the social video sharing platform announced to donate $10 Million to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Solidarity Response Fund. According to WHO, it will help to send essential supplies to health workers on the frontline. It will also help to ensure the health officials have access to the latest science-based information to prevent infection, to develop the lifesaving vaccine, and discover a treatment for the coronavirus. It is indeed such a noble cause to be supported.
Why are we so hooked on TikTok?
TikTok can be so addictive and can make you so hooked once you start doing it. Those quirky things that we can do that can leave you amused are something that our childish selves can laugh at. Those attempts to imitate something that is viral brings out the artistry — or should I say bring out the craziness in all of us. It has received harsh criticisms though that the app has full of narcissists and validation seekers. Some may say so as it can be a platform to show off your good looks and dancing abilities. But it can also be argued that everyone is just trying to find some solace in this time of need, that it is such a creative experience that can transport us to a different realm.
This crisis is full of uncertainty and has caused an alarm and panic worldwide, but what we need right now is a form of entertainment that can at least appease us. Some may think that it is disrespectful and self-serving to be entertained at a time of a public health crisis — but what can we do? Are we just supposed to stay at home and leave us all depressed? Isn’t it a responsibility to ourselves to find something that can somehow lift our spirits and find something cheerful in a devastating time like this?
What did we learn from it?
One thing is for sure, people will continue to support those who do great things and TikTok was able to do just that. This platform has shown us that it is not only keeping us entertained, but it is making a huge impact on a lot of people’s lives. It is giving us a momentary pause for what can be a debilitating experience for most of us. We only hope that this action of TikTok will be emulated by other companies in the world. So TikTokers, let’s keep on posting our videos and stay in the confines of our homes instead of going out.
Arthur Tolentino is a creative who has diverse interests from creative writing to hairstyling and pageant coaching. Being passionate that he is, he loves pop culture and loves to talk about anything and everything under the sun.