It’s well known that social media can be toxic, and most of us have experienced this firsthand. I want to focus on the app I use most, TikTok, and how it has gone from a lighthearted place for people to express themselves to a breeding ground for hate and toxicity.
Most of the big and even small “creators” or “influencers” on TikTok face countless attacks on their appearances and assumptions by people who don’t know them. When I click on a comment section, I already know what it’ll look like before I even read it. Body-shaming, slut-shaming, weight comments, and anything else that can be critiqued about a person are present in the comments.
The worst part about it is that many of these comments are left anonymously, by people without a real username so nobody can figure out who they actually are. These people only have the courage to say what they say while hidden behind a screen because they know it’s wrong.
I think the problem with TikTok and other social media apps is that people forget these “influencers” are real people. We give them such huge platforms and idolize them so much that we forget they are similar to us and they have feelings too.
Like a lot of people, I’m slightly addicted to the app but I know it’s not good for my mental health or most other people’s, so I try to limit the time I spend on it. I think we all have to take a step back from TikTok and other social media apps because they can be damaging without us even realizing it.