Will TikTok be the Solution to My Quarantine Boredom?

The popular social media network, TikTok, has been on everyone’s mind and cell phone lately. Whether you love to discover hacks, join challenges, learn dances or follow up on the lives on social media influencers, TikTok has it all.

During the time people began to self-quarantine at home, the app began to dominate and capture the attention of many individuals. Despite the age, it seems that everyone is creating an account and joining in on the viral trend.

I have considered downloading the app, now that extreme boredom has struck me, but I have yet to be convinced.

TikTok is used by a vast amount of people and it seems that many have had the luck of gaining a huge number of followers overnight. Many of the rising TikTok influencers seem to be teenagers within the age of 15-18, basically high schoolers.

I on the other hand, I am a college student who would love to maintain the bit of dignity I have left. Especially now that I am in search of an internship with a serious company. Imagine an employer viewing a TikTok of me dancing my heart away to ‘Say So,’ by Doja Cat. I would probably get a chuckle, but I don’t know if it would secure me a position.

Unlike other platforms, TikTok users don’t focus on uniqueness necessarily. It’s all about how an individual demonstrates creativity, with what is trending within the social media platform, and not about creating a new trend.

I am extremely active on Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook, which I consider all to be simple to interact with because one can either post an image, video or random thought. Simple. TikTok on the other hand I believe is different, because although you can post videos like Snapchat, it is not the same. Snapchat is more personal and random, while TikTok content is more thought out and quirky.

The popular app of 2020 has been growing due to people's craving to find new ways to be distracted during the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite having school work, whenever I take a break I can't seem to find anything to do. Friends have recommended the app several times and have even sent me hilarious videos that are trending on the app, but they have also mentioned that once you join the app time will fly by.

"TikTok is addicting," said teen, Isabela Huerta. "Although it is stupid, I will spend hours swiping for more."

Isabela isn't the first to tell me how alluring the app can be. Even if TIkTok contains repetitive content, it is apparently still fun to watch different people recreate the same dance or explain similar hacks. As bored as I am, viewing the same thing over and over for a long period of time does not seem appealing.

Although another friend of mine, who has attempted to be original and create videos for her account, has explained that TikTok can contain similar videos but there's diversity amongst the app. Different trends fit different personalities. People have a wide range of content to choose from, from a diverse group of people.

As quarantine keeps being extended, I'll probably continue to debate on whether downloading the app really be the solution to my boredom or will it just be another app that takes up space on my phone.

Why don't you give it try?

If you already have TikTok, comment down below and convince me to join the trend.