Recently, I have been finding myself scrolling through TikTok a lot, mostly just out of boredom and procrastination. But I have realized that I do a lot of my research on there. It probably isn’t the best way to find out information, but I like learning about things through others personal experiences.
A lot of my so-called “research” is about traveling. I am planning to study abroad next year, and I have looked at so many people’s videos about how their experience studying abroad was. I think I just like using their videos as guides because I believe that is always the best way to figure out the real truth about the situation.
While I am still contemplating my decision on whether or not to study abroad, these videos have really helped me to become excited about actually doing it and confirming my decision to go. I have also had a lot of debate about where my study abroad home base should be. But through TikTok, I have been able to find videos on different cities in Europe from the point of view of college students who studied abroad there. I like looking at their day-to-day lives, where their favorite restaurants are, and how their experiences were in each city.
While TikTok does heavily romanticize things, especially travel, there are a lot of “bad” reviews on things, which has also helped since I like to see all the perspectives of things. I think I just like the personal aspect of these reviews and videos. It helps me to see myself in their situation and make the decision that I think is right for me.
I also like seeing all of the things that people recommend getting for traveling and studying abroad. Like what clothes to wear or shoes to buy. I always like to be caught up in the trends, but I also love being able to find the niche things that no one else really has. (It is also really helpful when trying to make a Christmas list.)
Now, I’m not saying that you should always believe everything that you see online, but after watching hundreds of videos, it is helpful to see personal experiences and tips on how to make your own experience the best that you can. Social media is also massive, so it is easy to find thousands of experiences and things to add to your list of what to do and what not to do.