TikTok is more than just funny videos, it has become a social media platform that connects, relates, and educates kids and adults. 

TikTok allows people to be themselves and it also shows many more aspects of one’s life as many social media platforms don’t. TikTok is almost saying welcome, just be yourself and have fun. A user can see many different personalities, lifestyles, and people. TikTok has done a good job of making things easy: easy to like, to share and to post.

“I like the creativity people have on their videos,” senior Huntar Salem said. “You can make almost anything and become famous. It’s not like all the other apps where it’s hard to get noticed or seen.” 

Salem said, “When you’re having a bad day, TikTok makes your day better, or when you are struggling there’s always something that pops up on your TikTok on ways to solve that problem.” 

TikTok does a great job of feeding users with things they like, for example if they liked a video that really related to how they felt. TikTok feeds a user with more of what they like and that’s why tik tok is so relatable. A user can learn that they’re not the only person who feels the way that they do or the only person that likes the things that they like. 

The app’s authenticity has also drawn people in. People are able to post about things that they struggle with, meaning that they’re being authentic, and people want to see more authenticy. People are tired of only seeing the bright side of life; they’ve noticed there’s a dark side as well: the flawed, imperfect, and the sad part of life.  

According to an askattest.com article, “the pressure is on to present yourself in the best possible light. Some social media sites are a breeding ground for dishonesty.” 

Some social media sites encourage users to present only the unrealistic part of life, where it seems that you have to be happy all the time. 

Salem said, “Although it depends on the creator, because some creators if they’re already big on the social media platform, they only post the good stuff still. But some creators will show their whole life: the good and the bad and everything in between because it’s not just one part of the world. You’re not just getting the black and white picture, you’re getting the gray that’s in between.”

From an adult outside looking in, TikTok can seem childish or lame or just an app used for dancing or showing off one’s attractiveness; however, it’s been shown to be more than that. Many social media platforms usually have TikTok on them posted by someone and sometimes those TikToks can be really out of context or something that you may not enjoy or even understand.

Teenager Delilah Joseph said in a blog article to be unique. Joseph wrote, “TikTok is full of laughter and fun and you have to experience it to know that.” 

Traci Stiles, attendance secretary and Battle parent, said the perception of TikTok can be just dance videos, but she has seen other adults use it for recipes and how to do different things.

Stiles said, “I know that it’s more varied than it seems. There are a lot of follow the leader type of things with TikTok challenges. A lot of them are fun things, but some are a little more destructive, but you have that with every social media, so I don’t know if you can really blame the platform for that.” 

Anyha Cain, senior, said, “If people are posting just a little, ‘did you know?’ kind of thing, I’m like, dang, that’s crazy, I did not know that. This shows two things: TikTok is not only funny but educational and entertains you by having fun facts about things you didn’t know.” 

TikTok can be funny, but remember, it’s more than that.