TikTok Tokking

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This week's read was "TikTok." I personally overuse my TikTok and spend more than two hours on the app daily, according to my phone's screen time data. This personally shocked me. I knew I spent a good chunk of time on the app; however, I did not expect that much. This made me curious, so I referred to the book to see what the app's daily average use is per user. Their sources found that the daily average use is 96 minutes. So, I guess my scrolling addiction isn't too bad.

The chapter opened with a statement regarding the large effects TikTok has on our society. This made me reflect on my personal interactions with the app. Without realizing it, I have created playlists and purchasing choices based on what is featured on my feed. No other app has this power over me. I don't know if the video testimonials seem more genuine or what, but I trust TikTok more than other apps I use. Which seems crazy to say because the government has mentioned removing TikTok from the United States multiple times.


In addition, the book mentions how 40% of TikTok users make more than $100,000 a year. This surprised me until I reflected further. With most of the app making less than $100,000 a year, I was shocked at how popular the TikTok shop page is. TikTok recently added a shopping feature to their page, and it has seen huge successes. With the ability for influencers to make a commission off of sales, many, if not most, videos, at least those I see, have a shopping link attached. With this being said, the low number of users making over $100,000 a year would insinuate that the majority of users may not have disposable money. So I wonder how the TikTok shop is so popular with a smaller buying audience. However, I do know that I have bought something off the TikTok shop and make nowhere close to $100,000. So, is TikTok really influencing us all that well? Yes.

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