I vaguely remember the days before finals week December 2019 when I still made fun of TikTok and everyone who had downloaded it. I thought it was ridiculous and told people repeatedly that I would never get the app or watch anything from TikTok.
At that point, I spent most of my procrastination time on YouTube, and eventually a few TikTok compilations came up in my recommended. I was curious enough to watch a couple since they were only a few minutes long. They were actually pretty funny, even though I hated to admit it. Finally, during finals week, in my desperation to do literally anything but study, I downloaded TikTok (mostly as a joke) just to see what it was about.
It didn’t take long to develop an unfortunate habit of scrolling through TikTok 24/7, especially when Christmas break hit and I had nothing better to do. Even though I wasted a ton of time on the app over the semester and probably have not been as productive as I should have been, TikTok is worth downloading and here’s five positive reasons why:
- It’s great for when you’re feeling a little sad or down.
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TikTok is always there to make me laugh when I’m sad or stressed or just need to take my mind off of things. I’ve been entertained for hours by people recreating album covers or sharing their embarrassing stories. People are hilarious and never stop putting a smile on my face.
- Learning the dances feels stupid, but it’s a great stress reliever.
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At first, I liked watching dance videos because the creators were so talented, and eventually I got bored enough of doing homework at 2 a.m. that instead, I started learning some of them myself (I’m a terrible dancer, by the way)! TikTok dances are known for using a lot of the same easy dance moves, which is fortunate for those of us who have no dancing skills because it makes them really easy and fun to learn.
- It’s a platform for a lot of talented performers and artists to share their work.
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I’ve seen so many amazing artists on TikTok! There’s some insanely talented singers who perform clips from Broadway soundtracks, actors who make awesome POV videos, and visual artists who create beautiful pieces on video. Personally, I’m a big fan of the acrylic pour videos and iPad lettering videos!
- It connects people with common experiences.
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TikTok brings out what people have in common, whether it’s a silly opinion about books or TV characters or a serious, life-changing event, TikTok has it covered! I love seeing people share their favorite Gilmore Girls characters or just random habits that everyone seems to share but never talk about. I’ve also seen many people use TikTok as a way to raise awareness for important issues, such as videos about women reclaiming their bodies and decisions for Denim Day.
- The creativity is insane.
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People on TikTok are honestly so talented and so creative. Not only are the videos full of unique ideas, but they are also filled with the sounds that people have made, which are usually so perfect! There are videos with crazy camera transitions, new baking ideas, and basically anything you can imagine. TikTok is one of the most flexible and casual social media apps, which makes it fun for anyone to make videos, not just the famous creators.
So go download TikTok so you can enjoy it too!