Billions of users flock to Tik Tok, the newest social media platform, for entertainment daily. Users love the constant flow of videos that allow them to be exposed to a stream of entertainment. Tik Tok has been wildly successful in growing its platform, especially during stay-at-home orders as the world experienced a global COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effects of the app on the way that consumers are able to digest content are frightening.
One of Tik Tok’s key features that distinguish it from other social media platforms is the ability of users to quickly scroll through video content as they please. Initially, users loved this ability as they were able to quickly find entertainment once going on the app and could be entertained for as little or as long as they wanted to be on the app. However, after long-term usage of the app, many users are noticing their decreasing attention span. The science behind this phenomenon that a majority of users are experiencing is well explained in an article by Bustle:
When you scroll through TikTok, neuropsychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez Psy.D. tells Bustle, you're actually in pursuit of dopamine. "When you scroll and hit upon something that makes you laugh, your brain receives a hit of dopamine," she explains. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released by the brain's reward system, and it produces feelings of pleasure — and motivates you to find another hit. "When you see something you don't like, you can quickly pivot to something that produces more dopamine," Dr. Hafeez says.
So when users are able to keep scrolling endlessly on the app looking for that small boost of dopamine, they end up trying to make a decision quicker on whether or not a specific video will give them that dopamine release.
A decreased attention span is not healthy for the consumers and also creates a challenge for marketers. Now with the short attention span of about 2 seconds before users lose interest, marketers are challenged with creating a meaningful impression on users within those two seconds. As a result, many marketers are moving towards more discrete advertisements such as influencer marketing, brand partnerships, or product placements in order to retain the consumer's attention. However as our attention span continues to decrease, marketers and consumers alike will have to figure out a way to navigate this issue, especially on the app that accelerated this problem: Tik Tok.
As a person who is always on their phone, I have seen how addicting Tik Tok really is. Over past couple of years my screen time has almost tripled. With that I have also seen my productivity and attention span significantly plummet. With an algorithm that is designed to monopolize your attention it is pretty scary that I can spend hours on that app with seemingly so break. I feel like there is a positive, educational side of Tik Tok, but my recommended videos are definitely not of that variety
Wow, I did not know that there was actually scientific evidence specific to our attention span and TikTok usage. It is very interesting because I have noticed that my attention span is getting worse and worse, and now I realize that it could be linked to TikTok usage. I can barely sit throught 30 mintues of class without turing my attention to something else. Obviously social media in general is not the healthiest thing for our brains, but it is scary to think how impactful it can really be on our health. I think we with new apps like BeReal where there is very limited time spent on it, we may start to see a trend toward this type of…
As mentioned by Cameron, the way Tik Tok interacts with the user sets up the individual for a less attentive lifestyle. The endless scroll for sure amplifies the amount of information an individual takes in in one sitting. What I found interesting about tik toks would be that it is perhaps the first social media "product" that not only has videos tied to it, but also specific audio clips. When I view a tik tok, I often find myself not only reading the captions but also trying to make sense of what is happening on my screen, as well as listening to the audio. In this manner, the amount of "sensory" stimuli my brain receives in a single snippet of…
"The Infinite Scroll" on all social media has been draining our attention spans from its inception, but TikTok's algorithm definitely amplifies this. It feeds you short videos that are exactly what you want to see. As someone with ADHD, I noticed that I would end up spending a whole hour or two just scrolling instead of getting things done, and eventually deleted the app. I worry about the impact TikTok and other social media will have on the younger generation.
I have definitely noticed how short my attention span has gotten because of media platforms like vine, Tiktok, and instagram. One way I've especially noticed the shortened attention spans of people our age is how when listening to music with friends people will skip songs after about a minute in. After one of my friends pointed this out to me, I've tried to stay disciplined and just listen through songs, but it's difficult sometimes! Additionally the way it was created was to be like a slot machine, which is psychologically what makes it so addicting. It is so crazy to me how companies weaponize psychology to draw in consumers without regard to how it'll effect the population long term.