TikTok is a video-hosting platform that allows users to create short clips and view videos of friends as well as wider celebrities and public figures. It has silently been around since 2016, but the worldwide house arrest due to coronavirus has supercharged its popularity.
TikTok’s global popularity means it must have a significant influence over people and begs the question: what kind of effect does TikTok have on the everyday lives and studies of its main user segment – students? This is precisely the question we set out to answer in this piece.
Stress control
You might quickly assume that TikTok, being a popular social network, must have a detrimental effect on students learning and productivity. But before you jump to conclusions, pause for deeper thought.
TikTok offers easy entertainment and a way to divert attention and discharge from the stresses of daily life. This makes it especially attractive to students, as it helps them relax and unwind from the stresses of their highly congested and demanding learning routines.
But as with everything in life, it’s important to maintain a reasonable balance. How much TikTok is too much? For that, proceed to the next paragraph.
Time-wasting
Many students start to neglect their academic duties and overspend time on TikTok. More responsible ones pay for essay cheap to free up time for scrolling by having professionals write their papers for them – which is a step better.
TikTok has proven highly engaging and attention-consuming. Users report accessing the app for a few minutes of relaxation only to completely lose track of time along with the awareness of the outside world and lurking responsibilities.
Unsurprisingly, the app can badly influence learning by usurping a lot of students’ study time, as they spend hours zombified in front of their screens.
Creative outlet
The modern world is full of distractions. Technology keeps creating increasing and ever-more easily accessible channels of entertainment. It also offers to facilitate academic and work-related responsibilities so that you can spend even more time on its means of entertainment!
The Internet is now full of writing apps that can significantly shorter the writing process between ideation and finalization. The bottom line is that technology can hurt your learning and work as well as enhance it. TikTok can serve a useful purpose as well – it can become your creative outlet.
In a traditional sense, being creative implies painting, writing, etc. – all too complicated and time-consuming – requiring immense dedication and talent. TikTok, in comparison, offers a more accessible and easy way of applying your creativity and imagination. Conceptualizing and creating funny, interesting videos that others will enjoy can serve as a mental practice that positively influences your learning.
Furthermore, popularity on TikTok can attract sponsors that seek to advertise their products and end up making you money. Financial well-being will remove money-related stress and reinvigorate you mentally, which should refresh every aspect of your life as a student, including your learning.
Bottom line
Counterintuitively and contrary to conservative(old) peoples’ opinion, TikTok does not necessarily hurt the learning process and if managed appropriately, can even indirectly enhance it. Means of relaxation are important for students, as they help them destress and re-enter their studies with a refreshed and healthy mindset.
You do need to be careful, though, not to let entertainments like TikTok go out of hand and take over too much of the time meant for studying.
Joanne Elliot is a professional content writer. Her writing covers a wide span of topics, ranging from cooking to space travel. She also hosts a personal writing blog, where she often talks about how modern technology is transforming our world and its effects on people’s everyday lives.