Even if you’ve never spent a single second on TikTok, there is a high chance that something in your life has been altered by TikTok’s influence.
Imagine being able to have an app that updates you on all the latest trends, news, and is a source of new ideas. TikTok is what describes all of these things and combines them into one.
TikTok is a social media platform that once was referred to as the “dancing app” and is now a huge name. The app launched in 2017 and is now considered one of the most popular social media platforms as well as one of the trendiest. It is proven that TikTok’s popularity is higher than Instagram’s. Daily Mail reveals TikTok users spend 197.8 million hours a day scrolling through the app which is ten times the time that Instagram users spend on Reels. This year, TikTok will have more users born in the 2000s than Snapchat does.
“There isn’t a bad thing to say about the app, it is one of the best social media platforms,” said freshman Joe Popovic when asked about his opinion on TikTok. When asking how TikTok has impacted these students’ lives, they all answered in similar ways. “I am always on it and I learn so much,” said senior Ellie Glicksman. Joe agreed by saying, “I use it so much and have learned a lot too.” Peralta said, “I use it everyday and see the latest news from the app.” Similarly, Madi noted, “TikTok has had a huge impact on my life because it is my most used app and whenever I’m bored or need to look up something I go straight to TikTok.” The viewpoints of kids are much more alike than potentially an adult.
One of the most common answers from students at Yorktown was them saying how the app is entertaining and trendy. Michael Peralta, a senior at Yorktown High School, began to say, “teenagers are able to keep up with trends which will make them entertained and interested.” To add onto that, senior Madi Tobin agreed, “I enjoy how going on the app helps keep me in style because there are so many new trends that I see people following everyday.” As you get older, fitting into society’s trends is really important. TikTok trends are especially put into a larger culture so quickly for people to see and then follow.
Dance challenges, comedy skits, gaming, DIY, sports, and music are all popular trends that users go on TikTok to watch. “I enjoy all the sports highlights on the app of my favorite soccer games,” said Joe. There are so many different videos that are available for people to watch and learn from. While talking to Joe, he said how he has learned new soccer skills that have inspired him.
After speaking to Lisa Tobin, teacher at BOCES, she explained how she is not “addicted” to the app as some kids are. She also expressed how having a teenage daughter calls for her wanting to be a part of new trends frequently and as a mother she wants to be there to know what’s going on so TikTok has those answers. She said, “I don’t use the app that much but often I am on it looking at the newest trends and sending relatable content to my daughter.”
TikTok stands as a platform with an amazing amount of creativity and inspiration. Most importantly from all of this, the students’ answers and how they explain how frequently they use the app is what stands out. No student had anything negative to say actually they said quite the opposite when talking highly about the app.
