It’s very clear that TikTok causes brain rot:

  • hours upon hours of scrolling;
  • damaged attention spans;
  • boring lip sync “memes”;
  • whatever the fuck my little brother is watching;
  • KKKringy song over equally KKKringe footage;
  • TWs for almost literally anything. I’ve seen [TW: Aesthetic];
  • iPad kids

You know? This applies to YT shorts. Now my attention span is so short I can’t even read theory for 5 minutes without thinking “What’s on TikTok?”

Let’s not even forget the KKKringe-ass use of 733tspeak, wtf man.

If I ever have kids, I’d waste my entire bank account just to stop them from getting in this hellhole of a site.

  • Camarada Forte
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    281 year ago

    Yes, TikTok is a nightmare and pushes ideology, softcore pornography, mindless dopamine hits and affects children of several countries. The Chinese company takes the opportunity that there are no legislation to regulate the content of these social media, so they push the most addictive content possible, in hopes to profit from marketing.

    China has a regulation of social media, hence why the Chinese TikTok (Douyin) does not push this kind of content in the country.

      • Camarada Forte
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        1 year ago

        Just try not to fuel the ideological discourse to ban TikTok because this serves the interest of US monopolies on social media, who directly benefit from the banning of TikTok and regain monopoly on discourse and public opinion. More like opposition to banning but a demand to regulate TikTok, is a much better discourse. In fact, a regulation on social media in general.

        • loathesome dongeater
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          171 year ago

          US state department already has full control over the ideological bent of TikTok. Regardless of what the media and reddit brainlets say, the CPC does not control TikTok. The version of it used in China is called Douyin or something like that and is governed by a different set of rules.

          TikTok was being forced to sell ownership to an American holder. I think Oracle and Microsoft were in contention at one point. Suddenly this requirement was relinquished and some NATO folks were given key position in TikTok. Mintpress News article about it.

          • @knfrmity@lemmygrad.ml
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            81 year ago

            This context becomes even more important to know in light of the recent moves in the EU and Canada to block TikTok from being installed on government devices. Blocking all social media on such devices makes sense, both in terms of productivity and security. Blocking one app because it’s associated with China in everyone’s head is just another bit of the current yellow peril propaganda campaign.

          • The version of it used in China is called Douyin or something like that and is governed by a different set of rules.

            There’s a ridiculous take I’ve heard libs make based on this information. They say that the reason Douyin and TikTok have different rules isn’t because, as you pointed out in your second paragraph, TikTok is beholden to the U.S. Rather, it’s because TikTok is a weapon by the see see pee to make American children braindead. Douyin not being cancer is considered as evidence that this is the case.

            • loathesome dongeater
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              41 year ago

              Yeah for some reason people like to pretend that the smol bean US government cannot just straight up ban the app if it is being used for psychological warfare.

        • QueerCommie
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          51 year ago

          Nah, we’ll just have completely change the incentives the algorithms run on, making them less addictive and terrible. I’m not saying shitposting needs to exist into eternity, just that mass communication is helpful, and it’s nice to be able discuss and share things all around the world.

          • 小莱卡
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            31 year ago

            I don’t see how it can become less addictive. The algorithm feeds you content based on the things you like and are interested in, that’s the reason it’s addicting. Unless they change the algorithm to give you content you actively dislike (which doesn’t make sense) it simply can’t become less addicting.

            There needs to be a complete paradigm shift in social media for it to be healthy.

              • It could be that no or very little algorithms is the answer. Kind of like what lemmy does for sorting posts and comments.

                “Sort posts in reverse chronological order” and “Sort posts by most recently commented on” are algorithms, but not the kind that will try to trap you in an endless loop of consooming content.

      • @Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Bad take. There are tons of extremely similar Chinese apps that are great and full of socialist content, like Kuaishou.

    • @Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      Your view is antiquated. All media is suspect to what you describe. TT is awesome for revolutionary content.

      • TT is awesome for revolutionary content.

        How? The Usonian State Department could just notice it and make it disappear/not show up on anyone’s algorithm. Besides, what are the chances that people on the other side would even want to watch it anyway? Most People are “politically apathetic” (but will still do anything to keep up the status quo) after all.

      • Muad'Dibber
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        21 year ago

        Please be respecful to other comrades when disagreeing on here, we won’t hesitate issuing temp bans.

  • 🏳️‍⚧️ Elara ☭
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    1 year ago

    I’ve never really liked short-form content, I find it boring. For some reason, everyone my age seems to be obsessed with it. I don’t understand why. The only social media I use is Lemmygrad and Matrix with an occasional comment on Reddit. I haven’t even charged my phone in months because I find phones useless for anything but calling people when it’s absolutely necessary.

    • JoeMarx 193OP
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      81 year ago

      Yea, looks like I have to use family guy pipeline technique to radicalize people.

      • @TeezyZeezy@lemmygrad.ml
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        61 year ago

        This is interesting, I’ve noticed this too, specifically on TikTok. “Good” content creators (those who share Parenti lecture clips, information on theory, or just educational content) have to pair it with a video game or something at the bottom to keep people seeing/watching/stimulated. It’s fucked up, imo

  • @Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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    171 year ago

    damn your feed sucks. TikTok is awesome. I get great political content, good recipes, and funny stuff. The only good network. Get Kuaishou as well.

    • QueerCommie
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      51 year ago

      I think the point is that the vast majority of mainstream TikTok is brainrot and it can harm your ability to concentrate even if you’ve found some decent content.

      • @Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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        111 year ago

        Hard disagree. You say you haven’t even used the app. It’s way better than IG, YT, Discord combined. China’s apps are just better. The ‘crap’ you are seeing is based on personal algorithms, my algorithm is awesome. TT isn’t just some niche community, it’s massive worldwide and the worst aspects are easily avoidable and are just indicative of the western majority… I use it to ‘search’ for more useful information more than regular search engines. Most westerns have no conceptual media training and it shows.

        • QueerCommie
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          1 year ago

          Ah, you’re right never having the app doesn’t give me too much credibility. I guess I assume there’s not much good on there because everyone around me that has it watches terrible stuff. It’s not a Chinese app anymore, they were forced to sell the US version. I doubt they changed it that much, though, besides more surveillance and psyops. I remember Yugopnik said he has a very niche TikTok algorithm that he likes.

          • @Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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            61 year ago

            like i said, there is more good content on there than all western social media networks combined. yes i know it’s not ‘officially’ chinese but it’s a clone of the Douyin app, which is great and even more advanced than TT. western social media is way behind multi-purpose apps from china.

          • Muad'Dibber
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            41 year ago

            I did have the app for about a month until I rage-deleted it after realizing I was wasting a ton of time every morning scrolling.

            I highly recommend not installing it, and doing literally anything else. Like all parasocial media apps, the entire point of it is to keep you on it and seeing ads for as long as possible.

            Even if there are some good conent creators on there, you’re better off learning from books rather than 2nd hand 30 second clips.

            • @TeezyZeezy@lemmygrad.ml
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              51 year ago

              Even if there are some good conent creators on there, you’re better off learning from books rather than 2nd hand 30 second clips.

              Definitely.

  • @KommandoGZD@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    Let’s not even forget the KKKringe-ass use of 733tspeak

    Wait what? Leet is making a comeback? I thought people forgot that had even existed some time after ~2010

    As for tiktok in general - have you ever had someone use it in the same room as you unmuted? It’s terrifying how that stuff fries your brain. Constant switches between loudass music, weird AI voices, people talking every other second is just infuriating and people subject themselves to this for hours at a time

    • JoeMarx 193OP
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      61 year ago

      Yes. it is. The KKKringe bit is words like “cop”, “German”, “black”, etc are somehow censored for no reason.

      As for tiktok in general - have you ever had someone use it in the same room as you unmuted? It’s terrifying how that stuff fries your brain. Constant switches between loudass music, weird AI voices, people talking every other second is just infuriating and people subject themselves to this for hours at a time

      Yes, in fact my little brother is always on TikTok, he also blasts TikTok loud a lot.

  • @SpaceDogs@lemmygrad.ml
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    121 year ago

    I think social media in general is a double edged sword. It’s great in so many ways but due to the lack of teaching critical thinking it makes the spread and infection of disinformation very effective. My TikTok feed is usually pretty good but I have had the occasional anti-China, or just super Liberal stupidity pop up here and there but I just click not interested and move on. My main issue is with YouTube shorts. That’s where all the reactionary shit is. I swear to. God no matter how often I flag those types of shorts they still keep coming! I’ll be watching Dimension 20 shorts and then BOOM I see Amala Ekpunobi telling me how she was “trained to be a victim” because of other kids touching her hair. I know that treating a black person’s hair as just something you can gawk at and touch as you please is racist, but Ekpunobi was using the worst example of this situation ever. I’m almost 100% certain she was not sincere with her story. Anyway the comments were eating it up, as usual, so I proceeded to whisk that shit away and then report a shit ton of her videos because they are disgusting shit.

  • @bleepingblorp@lemmygrad.ml
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    121 year ago

    TikTok, like all those mind numbing social media sites, serves only to dull working class people to the realities of their material conditions. The only social media I use is Lemmygrad, which helps me fine tune my understanding of theory and the material conditions of comrades as well as my own. I have a LinkedIn but that is only for my plastic mask self to try to get and maintain okay jobs. I go there maybe once or twice a month for a few minutes then poof out.

  • ButtigiegMineralMap
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    Yea I guess my advice would be maybe just delete it or set limits for how long you watch or how many you watch. I personally never had an issue with it affecting my attention span because I was so put off by the app initially that I rarely check it unless a friend texts over a meme from there. I was put off by: A.) The hyper-sexualization of underage teens that made me feel creepy for even seeing the screen for more than a second. Like not saying these girls can’t use the app or anything but it’s weird to me that if I look for gym clips and tiktoks, instead of seeing someone explaining proper form of bent over rows or lying dumbbell Y-raises, I scroll endlessly trying to dodge the thirst-traps of girls that are nearly nude doing Squats or whatever exercises show off their x or y or z bodypart. B.) The $igma Grind$et Chad Giga Cool Alpha Guy types. I’m not in the slightest impressed by the lame college white dudes that use their alcoholism or horniness or racism as the punchline of a joke. Even most of the ironic sigma memes have gotten stale by now. I get that it’s still used, but I’m waiting for it to die. Like yea the East German weight lifter is cool and everything but I think it’s spent more than enough time in the sun, time to go off into the sunset by now, maybe that’s just me. Also the Christian Bale as American Psycho meme is used so often, they might as well give a prize to whoever makes one of those memes next, like they may actually just be the 1,000,000,000th person to make one of those edits. C) Stupid arts and crafts that serve NO purpose. Ever wanted to burn a plastic knife and put that toxic shit on your face as glasses? Ever want to make a gel-cast in the shape of corn? Ever want to make a cereal bowl that leaks half the milk out so you don’t have too much milk-cereal ratio in your bowl? Ever want to wash your mouth after you brush your teeth by using cut-up straws and taping them to the toothbrush? No? Well, here’s how anyways. These are just dumb, not much else to say. D.) Prank videos. These fall into 2 categories, rude and staged. Rude ones are like “watch me ruin this grocery store workers day by trashing an aisle lmao sub for moar!” Or stuff like “I pushed this person into a pool to humiliate them for views 😂🤣”. The staged ones are a lot more common, it begins with the person shushing the camera(that THEY are holding, who are they shushing?) and doing something silly to someone who is obviously not sleeping but acts like they are. They wake up mid-prank, staged hilarity ensues. Not harmful but not funny or interesting most of the time either. I’m missing a few others that probably exist bc I don’t watch TikTok anymore. Also just to add, the TikTok dances usually apply to A, but even when they are of age, my objection is that the songs usually suck and objectify women a lot but whatever. Sorry for the long rant, but TikTok really sucks. Yea LadyIzdihar and a few ppl have some good tiktoks, all the best to them but I can’t do it.

  • QueerCommie
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    71 year ago

    I hate TikTok/YT shorts. All I see is brainrotting poor quality mass produced content meant to addict. Fortunately, I have never had TikTok, so I only see the occasional commie memes on discord or IG, and YT shorts is very poor quality besides a few things like lady izdihar and jreg, which I will occasionally watch, but I won’t scroll it. My brother, however is addicted to YT shorts, at least my parents haven’t let him get TikTok yet. I still find IG reducing my attention span, but in that case I delete it for a few days.

  • makotech222
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    41 year ago

    Have you ever considered that I like getting constant dopamine hits?