Photo courtesy of Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.
This piece was written during my fall 2020 semester in my Literacy and Technology course. Our assignment was to expand upon our usage of a digital technology or social media platform.
by Jessica Welner
The coronavirus pandemic has altered our lives more than ever before. From Zoom meetings to having binge sessions on streaming services (i.e. Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max), the usage of digital technology has skyrocketed over the past several months. There is no doubt that my personal usage of streaming services and social media has rapidly increased. Moreover, my usage of the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok, has grown immensely during this crazy time. I wanted to discuss how the pandemic has reshaped my engagement with this digital technology.
Background
TikTok is a video-sharing platform that was created in 2016 by ByteDance, a Chinese-based technology company. In the last couple years, the application has become more mainstream. Influencers on the app are known as TikTokers. These TikTokers include Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Addison Rae, among a plethora of others. Videos are between 15-60 seconds long and users can create a variety of content that can reach thousands or even millions of viewers. Content ranges from dance, comedy, politics, among hundreds of others. Users can go on the discover page (see figure 1) to check out what is trending. The discover page changes daily so there are always new trends to join or watch videos of. The user can save sounds to use in their videos and add effects to their videos as well.
I swore to myself that I would never download the app because I never understood the hype that came with it. In May of this year, one of my favorite YouTubers posted a video on how to grow a TikTok account. I watched it and I was amazed at how quickly videos can go viral on the app. I caved and downloaded it. The rest was history.
My Accounts
I have two TikTok accounts where I post content and watch other users’ content. My first account, @wcnderlcnd (see figure 2), is where I post random videos based on popular culture, entertainment, or whatever I see trending. I do not post on there that often. I use this account mainly for entertainment purposes meaning to watch other users’ videos. I have this daily night routine where I watch a bunch of TikTok videos before I go to bed.
TikTok is much different than other social media platforms. For instance, when I posted my first video, it went viral almost instantly. If I posted it to Instagram, it would not reach as many people because the audience(s) for these two platforms are different. The content shared on both platforms are different. Most of the content shared on TikTok is random or catered to the user’s interests. Most of the content on Instagram is semi-catered to the user’s interests. In the end, these two platforms are quite different.
My second account, @vibefiilms (see figure 3), is where I post my video edits that I also post on Instagram. I made it because I saw an account that I follow on my Instagram make a TikTok account for their video edits. I thought why not. It is worth the try. Essentially, I get more views, likes, and comments on there than on my Instagram account and my other TikTok account. I find that there is more interaction there as well.
My Usage of TikTok During a Pandemic
When the stay-at-home order was enacted, I knew I needed something to pass the time. I had other social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to keep me afloat but there was something missing. I thought the platforms I had were enough to keep me entertained as well as a way for me to express myself. As I mentioned earlier, I did not want to download TikTok. I thought it was not worth it but boy was I wrong. This social media platform is another outlet for me to share my video edits and connect with other users. With the virus and current global events, we all need an escape from the chaos as do I. I found that TikTok allows me to escape my surroundings, have a good laugh, and dive into different worlds.
TikTok has helped me discover new things and things about myself that I never knew. For example, my increased usage has immersed me into learning to cook which is something I did not have a huge interest in before TikTok. Likewise, I started creating these polaroid posters that I found on my For You page (see figure 4). The For You page is just a compilation of videos that TikTok thinks the user might be interested in based on previous videos they have interacted with. My For You page is a compilation of politics, Harry Potter, art, journaling, among many others. My For You page changes on the daily but consists of most of these categories that I stated above.
Making Connections
In 2020, we have endured a worldwide pandemic which is something we did not see coming last year. COVID-19 has changed the way we live from how we interact with each other and engage with digital technology. In The Virus Changed the Way We Internet by Ella Koeze and Nathaniel Popper, they argue that the virus has changed the way we interact with digital technologies such as streaming platforms, video chat applications, and even digital news outlets. The article opens with the following paragraph, “Stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, with movie theaters closed and no restaurants to dine in, Americans have been spending more of their lives online” (Koeze and Popper). This is accurate as we were stuck at home because of the stay-at-home order that was put in place earlier this year. Many of us relied on technology as a source for entertainment.
This is why I downloaded TikTok in the first place. I craved an escape from the chaotic state of the world. The general usage of the app has gone up 15.4% and “was taking off before the coronavirus outbreak and has continued its steady ascent ever since” (Koeze and Popper). This is accurate as the video-sharing platform has been gaining more users since this time last year. Currently, there are 800 million users which is only 200 million less than Instagram. Keep in mind that TikTok has only been around for 4 years while Instagram has been around for a decade.
In How Cloud Technology Unites People Separated by COVID-19 by Chase Guttman, he details how video chatting has been transformed. I never heard of Zoom before the virus hit. The video conferencing platform “brings people together” (Guttman). This is evident because it does bring people together in a digital and socially distant environment. TikTok has allowed me to connect with users from all over the world who share similar interests as me. The platform brings people together even if they are just icons and text on a mobile device. I have seen how there are different communities within the social media application. Folks who have come out and are not accepted by their family have resorted to telling their story on TikTok. Most of these videos overflow with comments of support and love. These communities that exist within the platform have encouraged those who are outcasts to speak up. Politics has been a huge issue on the platform and many have expressed their views on the current political climate of our country. Many influencers are using their platform to advise their followers to vote and stand up for what is right.
On another note, I have joined Zoom conferences for school and to see family and friends. Guttman goes into the inventions of Netflix Party and Discord. Netflix Party is an extension of Google Chrome that allows users to watch movies and television shows with friends and family who are in a different room, city, or country. Discord is an online communications software similar to Skype. It allows for screen sharing but users are unable to livestream video game sessions with likeminded individuals. Technology has opened endless doors for us to connect with people and continues to alter the way we communicate with others.
In Impact of Digital Surge during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Viewpoint on Research and Practice by Rahul De’, Neena Pandey, and Abhipsa Pal, they cover similar topics as Koeze and Popper. De et al. explain the increasing digitalization within the workplace. They say that “Employees are adjusting to new “normals” – with meetings going completely online, office work shifting to the home, with new emerging patterns of work” (De’ et al). Not only is the workplace becoming digitized, schools are going virtual too. With TikTok, I have come across many videos that talk about learning virtually. Many that revolve around pranks on teachers and the toll it has taken on students by being in a digital classroom.
Overall, these three readings go in depth about the increase in usage of various digital technologies and how the virus has changed the way we live. I believe that this virus has made us thankful that we have technology. I know I am thankful because I would not have the social media applications and video conferencing platforms to connect with family and friends as well as a means for entertainment and creativity for myself.
Conclusion
In the end, the usage of digital technology has increased immensely due to the coronavirus pandemic. During this pandemic, I decided to download TikTok and I do not regret it. The application has provided me with endless entertainment, a platform me to express my creativity, and a way to share my video edits with people all over the globe. My increased usage of the application is due to boredom and a need for content that allows me to escape the chaotic state of our world. Most of all, TikTok has shown me that there is no limit with being yourself and it has been a place where I have been finding out what has been going on in the world that the news does not show us.
I am incredibly lucky to have access to all this technology at my fingertips. Technology has allowed us to connect with loved ones and cure our boredom. This pandemic gave us the time to appreciate it. What would our world look like right now? Information about current issues would not be spread so quickly and we would need to search for entertainment the old-fashioned way. Technology has made most things so easy for us that we forget that some things are difficult to conquer. Everybody should appreciate what they have because there may be a day where they might not have the ever-changing technology we have now.
