By Lee Soo-min
In the wake of COVID-19, remaining connected has become a pressing challenge. Physical separation naturally breeds emotional distance, and it is more crucial than ever to be aware of the things happening around us and to our loved ones. In these difficult times, however, our society has found itself leaning on an unlikely friend: TikTok.
The video-sharing application, known as TikTok, has fueled a new wave of social media frenzy. The app, which has amassed a following of approximately 800 million users, attracts audiences through its endless stream of amusing 30-second videos.
Due to TikTok's seamless algorithm, the constant flow of videos is immediate which makes it easier for users to reach several accounts in a single sitting. More importantly, however, this means that videos can go "viral" just within a few hours. The genius idea has made it so that truly anyone has the opportunity to become the next "it" creator.
Despite its inventiveness, however, TikTok may still seem to some another juvenile social media application. Admittedly, I myself initially held the preconception that the platform was another addictive sharing app. However, after months of resistance, I finally signed up in March.
It was during this time that I, myself, began to comprehend the true gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic. New York City was quickly becoming a deserted zone, and a heavy air of anxiety blanketed its streets. With instructions from my institution that the school year would continue remotely, I was left alone in my New York City dorm. During this time, my routine had become a tedious repetition of eating, sleeping and studying.
Seeking any type of diversion, I downloaded TikTok. What I expected to find was young females in short tops dancing or people lip-syncing to songs, which I did indeed see. However, after spending more time on the platform, I found quirky snack recipes, such as the infamous "Dalgona" coffee or pancake cereal, and even found that informative news publications such as the Washington Post and NBC had taken to creating (news-related) content on TikTok themselves.
Although TikTok is not specifically an informative platform, in these times, the revolutionary video-sharing application can act as an emulsifier. In the simplest terms, TikTok is a space to creatively interact. Through conversations in the comment sections, encouraging likes, or collaborative videos, the platform encourages inspiring human connectivity. More specifically in the face of COVID-19, TikTok has created a space for users around the world to continue to converse, and, in less seriousness, find time to smile. Through TikTok's impressive web of videos, users around the world can learn a 15 second dance in the midst of their mundane quarantine day, can release their mental stresses through silly challenges, and can, hopefully, contribute a fruitful change in these dark times.
Similar to TikTok, our society benefits from various other social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Kakaotalk where dynamic conversations and virtual human interactions have reclaimed their purpose. Today, TikTok is a courageous reminder that human creativity will always persist, even in the darkest of times.
Lee Soo-min (leesoomin5337@gmail.com) will start her sophomore year at Georgetown University in the fall.
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The video-sharing application, known as TikTok, has fueled a new wave of social media frenzy. The app, which has amassed a following of approximately 800 million users, attracts audiences through its endless stream of amusing 30-second videos.
Due to TikTok's seamless algorithm, the constant flow of videos is immediate which makes it easier for users to reach several accounts in a single sitting. More importantly, however, this means that videos can go "viral" just within a few hours. The genius idea has made it so that truly anyone has the opportunity to become the next "it" creator.
Despite its inventiveness, however, TikTok may still seem to some another juvenile social media application. Admittedly, I myself initially held the preconception that the platform was another addictive sharing app. However, after months of resistance, I finally signed up in March.
It was during this time that I, myself, began to comprehend the true gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic. New York City was quickly becoming a deserted zone, and a heavy air of anxiety blanketed its streets. With instructions from my institution that the school year would continue remotely, I was left alone in my New York City dorm. During this time, my routine had become a tedious repetition of eating, sleeping and studying.
Seeking any type of diversion, I downloaded TikTok. What I expected to find was young females in short tops dancing or people lip-syncing to songs, which I did indeed see. However, after spending more time on the platform, I found quirky snack recipes, such as the infamous "Dalgona" coffee or pancake cereal, and even found that informative news publications such as the Washington Post and NBC had taken to creating (news-related) content on TikTok themselves.
Although TikTok is not specifically an informative platform, in these times, the revolutionary video-sharing application can act as an emulsifier. In the simplest terms, TikTok is a space to creatively interact. Through conversations in the comment sections, encouraging likes, or collaborative videos, the platform encourages inspiring human connectivity. More specifically in the face of COVID-19, TikTok has created a space for users around the world to continue to converse, and, in less seriousness, find time to smile. Through TikTok's impressive web of videos, users around the world can learn a 15 second dance in the midst of their mundane quarantine day, can release their mental stresses through silly challenges, and can, hopefully, contribute a fruitful change in these dark times.
Similar to TikTok, our society benefits from various other social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Kakaotalk where dynamic conversations and virtual human interactions have reclaimed their purpose. Today, TikTok is a courageous reminder that human creativity will always persist, even in the darkest of times.
Lee Soo-min (leesoomin5337@gmail.com) will start her sophomore year at Georgetown University in the fall.
