Bhí tionchar ag TikTok ar an domhan i slí nach bhféadfadh Facebook nó Instagram riamh. Ligeann TikTok d’úsáideoirí físeáin ghearra a chruthú faoi ábhar ar bith, ó físeáin greannmhar de chait go píosaí scannáin choiriúla. Murab ionann tromlach na suíomhanna meán sóisialta, níl spriocghrúpa ag TikTok; páistí, a dtuismitheoirí, gairmithe, daoine scothaosta, daoine de gach aois agus cúlra, tá siad gafa le scrollaigh tríd a ‘For you page’ cé go bhfuil an-sonrach ar fád. Ba chóir dúinn a bheith buartha faoin tóir a bfhuil ar an app seo chomh maith leis an spleáchas na ndaoine air.
Ní gnách uaireanta an chloig a chaitheamh in aghaidh an lae ag breathnú ar dhaoine ag déanamh na cleasanna agus na tagairtí céanna anois is arís. Ní gnáth a bheith ag faire ar dhaoine ag taisteal chuig an ollscoil nó ag obair agus a fheiceáil cad a itheann siad nó a cheannaíonn siad i rith an lae gach lá, agus ní gnách é féin a scannánú ag déanamh na ngníomhaíochtaí uile-aimseartha seo ó lá go lá chun sástacht lucht féachana strainséirí. Anois is gnáth gach rud a roinnt ar líne; tá daoine imithe ó fhoirceann amháin mar shampla ag baint úsáide as ainmneacha bréige agus gan grianghraf próifíle a úsáid go foirceann eile, cé go bhfuil siad ag scannánú iad féin ar an leithreas nó ag ithe a ndinnéar. Diúltaím a chreidiúint gur cheart go mbeadh an leibhéal seo de cóngaracht ar líne mar ghnáthnós. Níl aon phríobháideachas ann a thuilleadh, mothaíonn daoine i dteideal faisnéis gan teorainn a bheith acu faoi dhaoine eile. Tá gach duine ag iarraidh a bheith i do ’influencer’; tá daoine ag infheistiú an oiread sin ama ar na haipeanna seo chun dearcadh áirithe a thabhairt do dhaoine eile orthu féin agus tá siad ag cur an oiread sin ama amú ag breathnú ar dhaoine eile nach bhfuil siad ag plé leis an domhan agus ag maireachtáil. Is é ceann de na hábhair imní is mó ná an chaoi a bhfuil sé ag tiomáint comparáide, go haeistéitiúil, go socheacnamaíoch agus go mothúchánach.
Níor casadh orm fós le duine eile nach n-úsáideann an aip ach nuair a labhraíonn mo chairde faoi is minic a dhéanann siad amhlaidh go diúltach. Insíonn siad dom nuair a úsáideann siad Tik Tok is mian leo go mbeadh siad níos táirgiúla, go mbeadh siad gléasta níos fearr, go mbeadh siad ag taisteal níos minice agus go mbeadh níos mó cairde acu. Glactar leis gur modh comparáide iad na meáin shóisialta agus go mbíonn éifeachtaí diúltacha acu ar mheabhairshláinte nuair nach mbaintear úsáid astu ach is é an baol dáiríre a bhaineann le Tik Tok ná gur cosúil nach bhfuil aon úsáideoir féinrialaithe aige leis. Rud atá níos measa fós ná chomh fada agus a chuireann tiktok siamsaíocht ar fáil d’úsáideoirí, is cuma leo faoin ionramháil. In uafás rinne mé suirbhé gairid (40 duine idir 17-24 bliana d’aois) chun tuairim níos fearr a thabhairt dom faoin gcaidreamh atá ag úsáideoirí leis an aip.
Suirbhé
1) An bhfuil tú tugtha do tiktok?
70% tá 30% ní hea
2) Cé mhéad ama a chaitheann tú in aghaidh an lae ar Tik Tok?
Níos lú ná uair an chloig – 10%
Uair an chloig – 15%
2-3 uair – 25%
3-4 uair – 30%
5+ uair an chloig – 20%
3) Conas a bhraithfeá dá gcuirfí cosc ar Tik Tok?
is cuma liom – 13%
Bheadh díomá orm – 58%
Bheinn cráite – 17%
ní dhéileálfainn – 12%
4) Cén tionchar a bhí ag Tik Tok ort?
I measc na bhfreagraí bhí:
“Bíonn tionchar aige orm i ngach slí”
“Tugann sé inspioráid faisin dom ach cruthaíonn sé neamhchinnteacht agus fadhbanna nua dom a bheith buartha fúthu”
“Bíonn tionchar aige ar an gcaoi a ndéanaim gléasadh; mothaíonn sé neamhchinnte dom faoi mo stíl agus mo chorp”
“Tá tionchar diúltach aige orm, ní mhothaím go maith ach an aip a oscailt ach is dóigh liom go bhfuil cac nuair nach féidir liom stop a chur leis an scrollbharra”
“Tá ceol maith aimsithe agam ann”
“Scaoileann sé an oiread sin faisnéise bréagach faoi gach rud ó leigheas go polaitíocht”
“Cuireann sé ina luí orm go héasca sna roghanna a dhéanaim, agus is cinnte go mbíonn tionchar ag mo thuairimí air”
Ba ábhar imní iad torthaí mo shuirbhé ach is cinnte nach ábhar iontais iad. Is é an rud a fuair mé níos suimiúla ná torthaí an tsuirbhé féin ná an méid a léirigh nó a mhol na torthaí agus cad iad na conclúidí a d’fhéadfainn a tharraingt mar sin. Ar an gcéad dul síos, níor lorg mé d’aon ghnó daoine a raibh aithne agam orthu a d’úsáid an aip, is amhlaidh a tharla go raibh sé suiteáilte. Ina theannta sin, ní hamháin gur admhaigh na rannpháirtithe go léir go raibh TikTok acu ach d’admhaigh gach 40 úsáideoir go hindíreach gur bhain siad úsáid as an aip gach lá amháin (bíodh sé 15 nóiméad nó 5 uair an chloig). D’aontaigh gach duine go raibh tionchar aige orthu (go dearfach nó diúltach) ní dúirt úsáideoir ar bith nach raibh aon tionchar ag an aip ar a dtuairimí, a roghanna ná a bhféiniúlacht. Bhí 90% de na freagraí ar cheist an tionchair diúltach. Bhrúigh mé orthu siúd a d’fhreagair nach mbeadh cúram orthu dá gcuirfí cosc ar an aip mar níor chreid mé go hiomlán an freagra (mar gheall ar 70% admhaigh go raibh siad andúileach), ba é an comhainmneoir don réasúnaíocht taobh thiar dá bhfreagra ná go raibh rogha eile acu. chomh fada agus a bhí sé fós ann, ní bheadh díothú Tik Tok ina ábhar mór imní dóibh.
Léirigh mo shuirbhé go leor pointí imní díreacha agus indíreacha. Is é an rud is suntasaí dar liom ná cé chomh dí-íograithe is cosúil linn mar ghlúin don ardán seo go háirithe. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil sé ag déanamh dochair dúinn (tionchar diúltach 90%), ach leanaimid á úsáid go laethúil. Nach ndéanann sé sin dochar chomh mór le caitheamh tobac, le féindochar nó le haon iompar éigníoch-dúghabhálach eile? Le linn an ghlaslais bhí Tik Tok faoi bhláth mar thug sé braistint pobail, leideanna, agus comhairle dúinn le maireachtáil sa staid nua iargúltachta agus ba shiamsaíocht úrnua é; ach dhá bhliain ina dhiaidh sin agus anseo táimid fós ag breathnú ar ‘laethanta i saol’ daoine nach mbuailfimid le chéile go deo, fós ag scrollú trí chuntais éagsúla atá ag déanamh na cleasanna céanna nó ag cur na smaointe céanna in iúl ach ag baint úsáide as ‘fuaim’ eile. Tá an domhan oscailte arís ach tá an chuma ar an scéal go mb’fhearr go leor daoine maireachtáil ar na leathanaigh ‘for you’ ná é a dhéanamh seachas maireachtáil sa saol fíor. Níl mé i gcoinne na meáin shóisialta afách breoslaí TikTok go háirithe spleáchas agus andúile na ndaoine agus is dóigh liom go bhfuil sé in am aghaidh a thabhairt ar an oibseisiún chomh neamhchoitianta agus a d’fhéadfadh an freasúra sin a bheith.
Tá Tik Tok ag marú ár n-indibhidiúlacht. Tá TikTok ag milleadh muidne!
As Bearla/ In English
TikTok is ruining us
TikTok has taken the social media world by storm in a way that Facebook and Instagram could never even compare. The platform allows users to create short videos on anything, from funny cat videos to literal crime footage. Unlike majority of social media platforms, it has no specific target audience; children, their parents, professionals, the elderly, people of all ages and backgrounds are obsessed with scrolling through the hyper specific algorithms of their ‘for you’ pages. We should be genuinely concerned about the popularity of the app and people’s dependency on it.
It is not normal to spend hours a day watching people make the same jokes and references again and again. It is not normal to watch people commute to university or work and see what they eat or buy throughout the day every day, nor is it normal to film yourself doing these mundane activities day in and day out for the satisfaction of an audience of strangers. We have normalised oversharing on the internet; people have gone from one extreme of using fake names and no profile photos to another where they are filming themselves on the toilet or having dinner. I refuse to believe that this level of online intimacy should be normal. There is no privacy anymore, people feel entitled to have unlimited information about others. Everyone is trying to be an influencer; people are investing so much time on these apps to give others a certain perception of themselves and are wasting so much time watching others that they aren’t engaging with the world and living life. One of the biggest concerns is how it is driving comparison, aesthetically, socio-economically, andemotionally.
I am yet to meet someone else who does not use the app however when my friends speak about it they often do so negatively. They tell me using Tik Tok makes them wish they more productive, that they dressed better, that they travelled more often or had a larger friend group. It is a given that social media is a vehicle for comparison and has negative effects on mental health when the usage of it is not managed but the real danger of Tik Tok is that no user seems to have any self-control with it. What’s even worse is how as long as users are entertained and distracted, they don’t seem to care about how they are being manipulated and indoctrinated. I conducted a short survey (40 people aged 17-24) to give me a better idea of the relationship of users with the app.
Survey
70% yes 30% no
Less than an hour – 10%
An hour – 15%
2-3 hours – 25%
3-4 hours – 30%
5+ hours – 20%
I wouldn’t care – 13%
I would be disappointed – 58%
I would be devastated – 17%
I wouldn’t cope – 12%
Responses included:
“It influences me in every way”
“Gives me fashion inspiration but the flipside is how it creates new insecurities and issues for me to worry about”
“It influences how I dress; it makes me feel insecure about my style and my body”
“It negatively influences me, I only feel good opening the app but feel like shit when I can’t stop scrolling”
“I’ve found some good music there”
“Spreads so much false information about everything from medicine to politics”
“I’m easily persuaded by it in the choices I make, and my opinions are definitely influenced by it”
The results of my survey were concerning but certainly not surprising. What I found more interesting than the results of the survey themselves was what the results indicated or suggested and what conclusions I could therefore draw.
Firstly, I did not purposely seek people who I knew used the app, all 40 participants just so happened to have it installed. Furthermore, not only did all participants admit to having TikTok but all 40 users indirectly admitted to using the app every single day (be it 15 minutes or 5 hours).
Everyone agreed that it had impacted them (either positively or negatively) no user said that the app had no affect of their opinions, choices, or identity. 90% of the responses for the influence question were negative.
I pressed those who answered they wouldn’t care if the app was banned as I didn’t fully believe the response(due to 70% admitting they were addicted), the common denominator for the reasoning behind their answer was that they had another preferred platform so as long as that still existed, the abolition of Tik Tok wouldn’t be a major concern for them.
My survey revealed numerous direct and indirect points of concern. What I find most striking is how desensitised we seem as a generation to this platform in particular. We know it is doing us harm (90% negative impact), yet we continue to use it daily. During lockdown Tik Tok was thriving as it gave us a sense of community, tips, and tricks for surviving the new state of isolation and it was a fresh form of entertainment; but two years later and here we are still watching ‘days in the life’ of people we will never meet, still scrolling past different accounts who are making the same joke or expressing the same idea just using a different sound. The world has opened up again but so many it seems would rather live in their ‘for you’ pages then make it a reality. I am not anti-social media however Tik Tok in particular takes our dependency on and addiction to social media to new heights and I think it’s time to address the obsession as unpopular as that opposition may be.
Tik Tok is killing our individuality, Tik Tok is ruining us.
