TikTok’s Ticking Time Trap

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Have you ever opened TikTok and suddenly looked at the time, wondering how it’s been an hour? That’s TikTok’s doomscrolling effect. TikTok is the social media platform I’m on the most. I enjoy scrolling on TikTok when I need a break but am always conscious about how long. It’s so easy to get caught in the trap of scrolling for too long. Whether it’s to keep up with people I follow or find outfit inspiration, I always find myself reverting to TikTok. As I’ve gotten older, my usage on TikTok has decreased. I quickly realized that the hours I spent doomscrolling could’ve been used in a productive way.

Chapter 11 of Essentials of Social Media Marketing is all about TikTok. I found it interesting to read the chapter and be able to learn the facts of an app that I use so frequently. While I was slightly surprised to see the largest age group ranging from 24 to 35 years old, it makes sense because of the people posting the content. Even though college students are using TikTok, they are likely on other social media platforms like Snapchat even more. Male users are more popular on TikTok than female users, which also surprised me.  

TikTok’s algorithm was something I wanted to talk about as well. In my own life, I’ve seen that the minute I like something that’s slightly off my usual interests, I get another video about it. I liked a video from March Madness, and all a sudden I started to get basketball content on my For You Page. TikTok’s algorithm is generated toward user interests. It delivers content that will do the best on that individual’s page. Factors such as user interactions, video information and account settings drive TikTok’s algorithm. It’s important to note that TikTok doesn’t give priority to accounts with more followers. This allows every video to have a fighting chance to gain viewership. TikTok included content preference sliders to give users the ability to tailor content appearing on their For You Page. TikTok continues to create a specialized and engaging experience for users.  

Overall, TikTok is an interactive platform that allows users to create content or watch it themselves. It’s an easy way for people to engage with others by commenting, liking, or sharing videos with others.

Comments

  1. Karlie JanningsApril 8, 2026 at 10:06 AM

    Hey Danika! I also agree that once I like something I start to see more of it. It actually freaks me out sometimes! I agree that Tiktok is a very easy way to get distracted with time and you end up doomscroling for hours. It is for sure my most used app! I enjoyed reading your blog post and I hope you have a good rest of your week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Riley IbaughApril 8, 2026 at 9:53 PM

    Yes, I completely agree. I wonder how parenting, or general self-care is going to change in the future as we learn more about the impacts of excessive doomscrolling on the brain. I would definitely be a case study for such an investigation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aubrey HatteryApril 9, 2026 at 11:27 AM

    Hello! While I've never been on TikTok, I totally understand the feeling of falling into doomscrolling while on Instagram. I do think watching reels can be nice during a break, I do often find myself spending more time scrolling than I intended. I was also surprised to see that TikTok had a more older age range as I always thought more younger users were on it.

    ReplyDelete

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