As I’m sure many of you know, TikTok is a very popular app that shares many categories of videos. My “For You” page consists of beauty and fashion videos, with occasional clips of TV shows. Recently, I came across a clip from a TV show that made me binge the series. The TV show Scandal, which can be streamed on Hulu, is a show that appeared on my TikTok page. There was a clip that reached over a million likes, so I was tempted to watch the clip and scroll through the comments to see what people had to say. I was really intrigued by the drama I saw from the short clip, and I couldn’t help but watch the first episode minutes later.
Scandal is a 2012 political drama series that focuses on the life of Olivia Pope, a former consultant to the president of the United States. This series entails not only political drama, but as you may guess, relationship and romance drama as well. Shonda Rhimes is the show’s producer, who also produced Grey’s Anatomy on ABC Network. I am currently watching the series, but I took a minute to think about the fact that I would not be watching this show if it wasn’t for TikTok. The fact that this show premiered 11 years ago seems crazy to think about because the show still feels relevant in today’s society. The algorithms of TikTok circulate videos on my feed that are based on videos I’ve liked and watched in the past. Therefore, I am more likely to watch videos that I find interesting, and the show Scandal happened to appear on that list.
Another show that is probably more popular than Scandal” is the show Outer Banks. A few weeks ago, I recently watched the third season that aired on Netflix. When the newest season came out, my TikTok page circulated many videos and memes about OBX. All of these videos made me want to watch the third season. Therefore, TikTok has a great influence over the TV shows that I watch. And the algorithms feed my addiction to the app as well because I keep scrolling through videos that pique my interest.
Lastly, a show that I streamed in December was called The Sex Lives of College Girls, which can be viewed on HBO Max. I watched this show before winter break and TikTok is the reason why I watched the show. I saw clips of the series on my “For You” page and I was really intrigued by the plot because I am a college student myself. I liked that there was a sense of relatability that existed with this show, such as going to parties and trying to balance academics and a social life. I probably would not have watched the show if TikTok didn’t draw me in, as well as the comments circulating around the clips I have watched.
Overall, I do find it really interesting how TikTok has become such an influential part of my life. I use the app every day and I find that it’s the algorithms that are linked to certain TV shows popping up on my “For You” page. I take more of an interest in teen dramas, like Gossip Girl, The O.C., One Tree Hill, etc. I think that the TV shows that are on my page are linked to shows I may have searched for in the past, as well as the app tracking the videos that I like or bookmark. I am confident that many people like myself have experienced TikTok determining what shows are more likely to surface based on your watch history.
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