I had a whole big response, but I’m rewriting it because it was too combative.
Generally, in your response the impression I get is that you’re just mostly uninformed about the content available on Tiktok. What do you think the content looks like there? I get the feeling you think it’s mostly 10 seconds dance videos and videos like what are shown in this post. It’s not.
My Lemmy feed is vapid in comparison to my Tiktok feed. For example, I’ve learned more about CRT and intersectionality and living with disabilities, on Tiktok than I have anywhere else. It’s full of nuanced videos a few minutes long, by creators from a variety of backgrounds, covering topics I’d never have thought to look into myself.
The “algorithm” boogyman that folks here cry about is it’s best feature. It’s introducing me to new content and ideas I’d otherwise never be exposed to, because it doesn’t keep me locked into a handful of topics I’ve selected myself.
I don’t expect everyone’s feed to be packed full of educational content like mine, and I do still get (and enjoy) silly videos, just like I enjoy the [email protected] channel here. But the content is there, and there is far more of it, and it is of higher quality, than here.
Wrt harm, the non-profit networks are probably the least harmful, but also the least interesting and educational.
Tiktok is probably the least harmful for-profit network I’m aware of (maybe bluesky, but it’s still in the expand-at-all-costs phase). It would go so far as to inject “go touch grass” video reminders into your feed if you were scrolling too long.
The willingness for people to villainize Tiktok without reflecting on their own favorite social networks makes me suspicious of their motives and biases.
I had a whole big response, but I’m rewriting it because it was too combative.
Generally, in your response the impression I get is that you’re just mostly uninformed about the content available on Tiktok. What do you think the content looks like there? I get the feeling you think it’s mostly 10 seconds dance videos and videos like what are shown in this post. It’s not.
My Lemmy feed is vapid in comparison to my Tiktok feed. For example, I’ve learned more about CRT and intersectionality and living with disabilities, on Tiktok than I have anywhere else. It’s full of nuanced videos a few minutes long, by creators from a variety of backgrounds, covering topics I’d never have thought to look into myself.
The “algorithm” boogyman that folks here cry about is it’s best feature. It’s introducing me to new content and ideas I’d otherwise never be exposed to, because it doesn’t keep me locked into a handful of topics I’ve selected myself.
I don’t expect everyone’s feed to be packed full of educational content like mine, and I do still get (and enjoy) silly videos, just like I enjoy the [email protected] channel here. But the content is there, and there is far more of it, and it is of higher quality, than here.
Wrt harm, the non-profit networks are probably the least harmful, but also the least interesting and educational.
Tiktok is probably the least harmful for-profit network I’m aware of (maybe bluesky, but it’s still in the expand-at-all-costs phase). It would go so far as to inject “go touch grass” video reminders into your feed if you were scrolling too long.
The willingness for people to villainize Tiktok without reflecting on their own favorite social networks makes me suspicious of their motives and biases.
I think we agree that social media in general can harmful but it does not seems that way on the rest. So lets leave it at that.