Straying Away from Tiktok: Now What?

Colleen Finn

Staff Writer

Like many others, when I heard the news that TikTok was being banned in the US on January 19th, I promptly deleted the app, hoping to gain more storage in its place. However, that afternoon, I watched my friend scroll through the app with ease, despite the alleged ban. After a quick Google search, I understood the situation: TikTok was available for people who still had the app, but the app itself was no longer available to download. I felt really stupid, but I decided to try to make the best out of the situation. Here’s what I’m doing to compensate for the loss of TikTok, and some suggestions for anyone in the same situation, or even choose to continue to not use it.

The first thing I’m trying to make up for the loss of TikTok is fulfilling the “social” aspect of “social media.” Twenty minutes spent ‘doom scrolling’ on the app is twenty minutes that could be spent in the dining hall with a friend, or on the phone with a family member. As cliche as it sounds, I find that actually socializing always puts me in a better mood than social media. This is easy to forget when I’m lost in my phone.

My next idea is to be more mindful with my media consumption. If I can’t use TikTok, I might as well fill the void in my daily social media consumption left by it with informational or thought-provoking content. Instead of looking at memes and FOMO-inducing lifestyle content, I am trying to focus on the newspaper and magazine email subscriptions I always forget about. The key word here is “try.” My friends can attest to my obsession with Instagram reels. As much as the loss of TikTok may feel like a learning curve, I think it’s ultimately worth stepping away from as I start a new year and a semester.