Indeed. I think the tangent on the privacy aspect (while important) is detracting from the main point here.
This form of fast-paced, superficial, and uninspiring content once turned me into a digital crackhead, unable to converse normally unless it was a short message here and there; even those blurbs were filled with obscure, borderline chronically online words that none of my family members or close friends knew about.
My friends became estranged, and I was isolated from my social circle. These symptoms foster and encourage the addiction even more—it's an ever-worsening feedback loop. It has always been a problem with social media in general, but it is so, so much worse for the short-form digital soylent that is TikTok and its many flavors (Reels, Shorts)
This form of fast-paced, superficial, and uninspiring content once turned me into a digital crackhead, unable to converse normally unless it was a short message here and there; even those blurbs were filled with obscure, borderline chronically online words that none of my family members or close friends knew about.
My friends became estranged, and I was isolated from my social circle. These symptoms foster and encourage the addiction even more—it's an ever-worsening feedback loop. It has always been a problem with social media in general, but it is so, so much worse for the short-form digital soylent that is TikTok and its many flavors (Reels, Shorts)