Tik Tok

[Mike]

Or is it all one word?

Anyway, my sons like TikTok, and Aidan pestered me until I installed it. I watched it one time, and now it only pops up when my kids share videos with me. Two issues:

I'm lazy. I remember how long it took for Spotify to really get to know my preferences. Getting Tik-Tok to start catering to my tastes would require me to actively engage with it, liking and skipping and stuff, and I feel like a toddler throwing a big baby tantrum, but... I don't WANNA!

Second, I can feel how much of a time suck it would be for me. Like getting sucked into a new phone game, but without the active engagement or need for me to do anything at all. It's catering directly to my laziness on this one, and I can see easily losing big chunks of my hours just watching it all scroll past.

I can't imagine this app would be good for me.

Has anyone else dipped into it?

[Phoebe]

Yes by accident - the first eight minutes or so were fascinating! A whole new world of fun dance videos. Then it went... Awry. I was left like

[poorpete]

TikTok was something I craved had existed in my youth. I was always interested in making little dyi music videos, Of my own stuff and from existing popular music. And the ability to collaborate is pretty cool. I just worry as usual about putting up something creative... the fear that it will be viewed negatively or just as bad not viewed at all.

[poorpete]

[Kyle]

I’ve tried getting into it twice over the last couple of years. From my experience, and from watching my kids, it’s the equivalent of when we were kids and cable first came out and you’d just click through the channels repeatedly, only stopping occasionally when something caught your attention. It also benefits from the SNL-amnesia effect- you don’t remember the 90% of garbage you watched because of the 10% of stuff you marginally enjoyed.

That said, I’m not opposed to it, nor do I think it’s a scourge. I just think it’s not for me. I don’t think it’s catering to a 50 year old demographic. And that’s fine.

[Mike]

I’ve tried getting into it twice over the last couple of years. From my experience, and from watching my kids, it’s the equivalent of when we were kids and cable first came out and you’d just click through the channels repeatedly, only stopping occasionally when something caught your attention. It also benefits from the SNL-amnesia effect- you don’t remember the 90% of garbage you watched because of the 10% of stuff you marginally enjoyed.

That said, I’m not opposed to it, nor do I think it’s a scourge. I just think it’s not for me. I don’t think it’s catering to a 50 year old demographic. And that’s fine.

That's a good summary of how I feel about it. Like I say, my kids share stuff from TikTok with me constantly, and whether it's funny or touching or bizarre or informational, the "greatest hits" version they send me has about a 60% hit rate with me. And that's just of the ones they think are share-worthy. I get the appeal, but I just can't see it being worth the investment for me.

[Mando]

I am codgering this one- that is to say, I am too old for this technology. I know it would consume me then it would be one of those things where I would try to share it with my kids and they would all say "Dad, no." kind of like Facebook...

[Kyle]

I am codgering this one- that is to say, I am too old for this technology. I know it would consume me then it would be one of those things where I would try to share it with my kids and they would all say "Dad, no." kind of like Facebook...

I don’t think that’s codgering- I think it’s respectful. Codgering, to me, is when people talk about how worthless it is and how kids are throwing away their time. People like us, if I understand you correctly, say “Hey, I don’t get it t, but if you love it- great!”

[Mando]

Yes.
Also I recognize a swirling whirlpool of distraction (for me) and I am steering clear o' this one. Youtube is enough for me. This would overwhelm my restraint.

[Kyle]

Same.

[DMDarcs]

Sorry, I was making videos. What was the question?

[poorpete]

My first TikTok experiment

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8cxj5qv/

Sloppy I know

Trying to figure out how one would count in

[Akiva]

Apparently there was some school shooting threat on Tik Tok; I don't know the details. But all of my students know about it. And lots of parents have been picking up their kids early.

And my kids know about it too. My son just called, and he's scared.

[Tahlvin]

I saw a couple news stories about it earlier this week, and we got an email from our school district a couple days ago where they said there were no specific threats against any local schools, they were working the local law enforcement, and urging parents to reiterate to their kids not to do something stupid based on social media.

It just seems to be an escalation of the TikTok challenges from earlier in the school year dealing with hitting teachers or damaging school property. The challenge was made, and almost no one tried it, those that did were punished. Hopefully nobody tries something this dangerous.

[DMDarcs]

Today was supposed to be "National School Shooting Day", and TikTok videos were widely circulated encouraging students to celebrate by engaging in acts of violence against their schools. Nothing specific in the videos, and (at least locally) the threats were deemed non-credible, but police presence was increased in many areas.