Why You Need to Take a Break from TikTok
I don't know about you. But I think TikTok is downright addicting. TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide and the numbers just keep growing.
I have no clue how the software engineers did it, but they have somehow figured out how to showcase perfectly packaged videos of #vanlifers, drink recipes, and cuddling cats in the span of 30-60 seconds. (It's honestly a perfect platform for a person who has the attention span of a hyena.)
TikTok has become my little safe spot on the internet where all of my dreams seem to live, and has become my version of Pinterest, a search engine, and YouTube all-in-one platform.
So why then am telling you to take a break from the app? Let me explain myself.
Why I'm Taking a Break from TikTok
Let me start off by saying this. I genuinely enjoy TikTok. It's fun. It can make me laugh and it can also show me how to do something fast.
Not sure what keywords to use in your LinkedIn profile? Boom. TikTok has a quick answer in just a few seconds.
Not sure how to fix your wall from nail holes? Boom. TikTok also has an answer.
All in all, I like TikTok probably about 10x better than other social media platforms due to the fact that I like to consume video content more than imagery. (Maybe it's just personal preference? Or maybe you can relate to that sentiment?🤷)
So why then am I taking a break? To be frank, my TikTok usage has started to negatively impact the way I see myself, others, and the world. (Just keeping it real.)
My #FYP would be flooded with all the things I wanted in life. There were people with friends on road trips, women with the best fitness routines, fashionistas with outfits I wish I could curate. I realized that TikTok began to be a place where I would take note of all the things I didn't have and it blinded me to all the good that my life currently had. I was too busy caught up in the short reels of someone else's life that I couldn't witness the goodness in my own. Sound familiar?
When wrestling with myself on whether or not I was going to give it up, I decided to think about some of the benefits of taking a break. Here are just a few of those benefits.
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3 Benefits to Taking a Break from TikTok
Cuts Down on Comparison
TikTok began to make me compare myself to others (in an unhealthy way). Like I said, my #FYP would be flooded with things I wish I could do or things I wished I had. The platform went from being a fun space where people would just show funny videos or glimpses into their life to becoming a place where I would mentally compare my life's success based on what everyone else was doing.
Gives You Clarity
By taking a break from TikTok, you can begin to have clarity for your own life. Social media can become a black hole of all the good things life has to offer. Vacations. Memories. Parties. Stuff. But too much of that can make you wonder what you even actually want for yourself anymore.
Do you want the cool vintage Amazon keyboard because you actually want it or because you saw a TikTok video about it?
Do you need to travel the world right this second because you have saved for it financially and have thought it through or are you only feeling the urgency to drop everything because of TikTok?
See what I mean? Taking steps back will allow you to see your wants for what they really are. YOUR wants, and no one else's.
Allows You to See the World for What it Really is
Lastly, taking a break from TikTok allows you to see the world for what it really is. TikTok can make it seem like EVERYONE is doing something cool and you're the only one who isn't.
But, you want me to let you in on a little secret? The people you are seeing on TikTok is only a small fraction of the world's population. There are so many people that aren't doing all the coolest things with the coolest stuff right now and that's okay.
Are You Ready to Break the System?
So maybe this article is just what you needed to decide that today is the day to take a break. In that case, good for you! But if you are still thinking it through, that's okay too. All in all, I hope that this article let you know that you are not alone with your desire to take a social media detox.
