Tik-Tak-Tweet
The ins and outs of social media
Prior to conducting my research, I assumed (like many others) that people who used social media, whether TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, or meta as we now know it (but will always be Facebook in our hearts), represented approximately 98.9 per cent of the human population. However, I discovered that just 56.8 per cent (about 4.48 billion) of the world’s population uses social media. Whether they have several accounts or only utilise it on occasion. Never knowing whether to delete them, keep them, or periodically check in on them. Those that do not use any type of social media are the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), in my opinion. This is due to the fact that in a technologically advanced environment, it takes extraordinary effort to resist the temptation to flock to the newest craze.
One of the more recent aspects of social media life is the social media network ‘TikTok.’ Everyone, if not the vast majority of people, young and old, have heard of Tiktok or seen a video from it. The New York Times described it as a “refreshing outlier in the social media universe,” and it is genuinely enjoyable to use. After being ‘peer pressured’ into creating an account by friends (which didn’t take much convincing), it has become one of the few social media networks I frequent. It’s an app that pulls you in so quickly that you don’t realise it’s been 3 hours. Although I do not create my own TikTok, it is a constant distraction from my daily life. It makes you laugh, cry (on occasion), and even allows you to catch up on shows you’ve been missing or avoiding (with spoilers of course). It has excellent book/movie recommendations, fashion, and even insults for those annoying people who need to be chastised.
I follow Tiktoker gippeumjoy_ because I enjoy the occasional spoiler. She provides excellent recommendations and ideas for Korean, Thai, Chinese, and Filipino dramas, among others. Shows I know I’d enjoy watching or shows I’m currently watching but haven’t gotten to the next episode yet. These suggestions are short videos that provide an overview of the dramas. The TikTok will show a juicy detailed aspect of the show that will entice you to watch it. I appreciate her recommendations and visit her website whenever I require a new watch. I highly recommend her if you need new watches and love watching Asian dramas like me.
Twitter is yet another social media platform that I only recently started using at the beginning of my second year of university. I’d never understood the Twitter craze. Even after nearly three years of use, I am still as perplexed as I was when I first started. I don’t tweet (because I never know what to say) and am still confused by the features, so I’m still in the infantile stages. It is, however, a humorous app. Similar to TikTok, but with words rather than videos. People post the most ridiculous things that will make you laugh, force you to realise that ‘ahh there really are stupid people in this world’, and things that will resonate within you and allow you to realise you are not the only one experiencing something. Of course, we can say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however when that opinion infringes on others then it becomes an issue.
For example, there is a pathetic individual on Twitter called Shola @jayythedope who says the most misogynistic nonsense anyone would ever have to read. Describing himself as a ‘KING’, he believes himself a life coach for men. He believes men who are respectful towards women, or try to get into a relationship are simply ‘simps’ and therefore weak men.
With his entitled opinion, he states that men should never be in the state to be asking women for anything, and we can infer it should only be the other way round. He states relationships should be a give and take only which to be honest is a bit sad to read as in 2022 that there is an individual who still has such thoughts. With inference (and a lot of his tweets), we can tell Shola’s views are those of an individual who strongly believes in patriarchy. He has ideas that will cause the blood of any well-respected individuals to boil.
However, like I said before, we may not like everything or everyone we come across on social media, but we use it nonetheless. It's a form of entertainment, sadness and information that once an individual has started using, is very hard to give up.
