As I write this, it has officially been around 30 days since the beginning of Lent. Before I get into the hubbub of it all, let’s start with some context. I’d like to preface that, as a Protestant Christian, this is my first time observing Lent, as it’s not traditionally practiced within my denomination. So, my explanation might not cover all the nuances of Lent.
Lent spans 40 days — technically 46 if you include Sundays — preceding Good Friday. These 40 days mirror the period Jesus spent fasting in the desert before beginning His public ministry. They serve as a time for reflection and spiritual preparation leading up to Easter, the celebration of His resurrection. This preparation is typically manifested through the sacrificing of something significant to encourage spiritual discipline and focus.
To meditate on the importance of Easter, draw closer to Jesus, and grow stronger in my faith, I stopped looking at Lent as something that I don’t have to celebrate, but something I get to celebrate.
Now that I’ve said all this, you might scoff at the triviality of what I sacrificed: TikTok.
When I was praying and pondering on what to give up, I was almost embarrassed that TikTok was the thing I kept coming back to. I mean, seriously? I couldn’t help but feel ridiculous at the “first-world problem” absurdity of it all. Surely there was something bigger I could sacrifice?
Something that consumed my time.
Something I really depended on.
Something I truly couldn’t live without.
The reality is that TikTok was the answer to all these for me. This was a difficult but necessary truth I had to face if I was going to do this right.
Thirty days in, I can say with full confidence that things have drastically changed.
Practically speaking, the time I no longer spend doom scrolling is now filled with life-giving conversations and experiences. I now engage in brain-stimulating activities and hobbies I had previously told myself I didn’t have the time for. I do things like journaling, cooking, reading, praying, puzzling, walking, painting, scrapbooking, and even just letting myself get bored fill up my in-betweens. I must say, life is sweeter now.
Mentally speaking, my mind feels quiet yet fulfilled for the first time in a long time, and it’s a wonderfully freeing feeling. As ridiculous as it might sound, I thought I would get FOMO at being out of the loop. While it’s true that I don’t hear about the most recent viral videos, trends, or internet inside jokes, it turns out that I don’t care as much as I thought I did.
Spiritually speaking, I’m on an entirely new and deeper level in my relationship with God, in my faith, and even with those around me. I’ve found that the time I’ve spent nurturing my faith has overflowed and proved fruitful in other aspects of my life. For example, I’ve had the time to examine and reflect on relationships with friends and family, and as a result, I’ve had difficult yet rewarding conversations. Consequently, those relationships have become much, much richer.
I’m sure at this point some people might be thinking that it’s hard to believe that all of this happened because what? I stopped using an app? Something about that feels dystopian or Black Mirror-esque. But truly, my addiction had reached that point. My screen time could prove it.
Even then, I found it odd that my relationship with other social media platforms was much healthier. After all, I’d never spent five or more hours scrolling through Instagram. The key difference lies in TikTok’s short-form video format, which is inherently addicting, and the instant gratification aspect that keeps users like myself hooked.
I’m well aware that this is certainly no groundbreaking truth. I’ve spent most of my life hearing, reading, and talking about the controversial nature of social media, particularly TikTok in recent years. For the most part, though, I let the information I’d hear go in one ear and out the other because I would just think to myself, “Sure, but it’s only a problem when it becomes an addiction.” Well…
Now, having discovered so much as a direct result of giving up TikTok, I have no intention of letting it all slip away. Thus, I’ll be continuing my break from the platform past Lent and Easter.
Bye, TikTok! I’d say I’ll miss you but TBH, I won’t.
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