It seems like everyone is talking about TikTok: its security risks, its seeming ubiquity among teenagers and adults alike. Writer Roxane Gay––whose father introduced her to the app––describes the problem of “pleasurably wasting hours and hours of time” on TikTok and warns about its purposeful addictive and exploitive nature. Is TikTok worth it?
Roxane Gay, “The New Pornographers,” The New Pornographers, 9 July 2024
- Gay details the many “TikTok rabbit holes” she’s fallen into, from watching viral dances to following influencer feeds. Consider how Gay uses TikTok, and think about how you and people you know use the app. If you use TikTok, what do you use it for? If you don’t use TikTok, what informed that decision? How might you describe your relationship to TikTok?
- In this essay, Gay compares TikTok to pornography. How is TikTok like pornography, according to Gay? What do TikTok creators understand about people’s attention and curiosity? How do these creators and the algorithm itself keep users scrolling on the app? Use a short quote (or two!) from the essay to support your response.
- In paragraph 14, Gay writes, “The internet age has afforded us a great many things, and primary among them is the ability to expose ourselves, without a filter.” What does she mean by this? Is this “ability to expose ourselves, without a filter” good or bad, according to Gay? Consider who benefits from this exposure and who might be harmed. Do you agree, disagree, or both with Gay’s argument here? Why?
- Gay writes provocative and compelling sentences. Pick a short passage (1-3 sentences) that captured your attention. Analyze this passage in depth. Explain what you notice about her tone, language choices, and sentence structure. Do you see her blending everyday language with more “academic” or “formal” language? If so, where?
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Yes, TikTok can indeed be addictive and a waste of time. However, TikTok has been an effective and beneficial way to get news across the world through all age groups creating a space of awareness about ongoing world problems.
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I agree that tiktok can become very addictive and take time away from the things needed to be done. But for me, tiktok has also given me important news that has given me an idea on what was going on in the world. I also think that kids under 10 should not have tiktok, because of the fact their brains are still developing at such a young age. Even though tiktok is an addictive app, it can also help others and even myself relieve stress by just getting your mind off of things. Tiktok can be educational and informative, which is a beneficial reason on how and why it can be used in a good way. Instead of just scrolling for hours because someone is bored. Tiktok spreading awareness through millions of peoples phones is very important. Because something important can be going on that we need to know about, and being on tiktok can hopefully spread that through the for you page. Also, a friend or family member scrolling through tiktok and finding something important can also help inform you or someone else about the world today. People also make income for tiktok, it can be such an important app to people that receive a good amount of money to survive. Another thing is that it can be a good customer engagement for companies that are on tiktok. For brands, it can make them bigger and spread them through millions of people’s eyes.
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I also agree that yes TikTok can be very addictive and also cause many memories of your life to be wasted. It does contain false information that can change people’s perspective of the world and can stress people out by misleading them into believing false assumptions. The algorithm keeps users scrolling on the app because it shows what many users want to see. I definitely agree that many hours of your life can be wasted than making memories because scrolling on TikTok might feel like a few minutes can end up being a few hours. This can cause many bonds to die with your loved ones. This can also cause sleep deprivation and depression at times because once you like one negative video the algorithm causes every video to be negative and it can be bad for the soul to receive so much heartaching information while doom scrolling in the middle of the night. Although it can cause negativity, TikTok also has its positives. It keeps the world updated on information that you might not receive anywhere else. TikTok also reaches different audiences and can teach people many new things that can help someone’s life. For example, Owning their own business. There are many creators on tiktok that have started their businesses on TikTok. They have started things at home with such little sources and once they post about it and hit a certain number of people, they can start to get many sales. TikTok helps many small businesses, not just businesses starting from zero get more recognition. TikTok also reaches religious people and shows many bible verses. TikTok can also contain daily affirmations of people talking positively within one’s life . It gives us a platform to be ourselves and there might be many people who can relate or not but everyone is entitled to their opinions and a lot of people feel free to be themselves.
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I think TikTok is very addicting and many hours of your life are wasted instead of making memories.
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I have never been a TikTok fan. I used to have the TikTok app on my phone only to get updates and recent photos of my daughter. I now have a close relationship with her and TikTok is no longer of any use to me.
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I personally don’t use Tik Tok; not for any particular reason, I just don’t. I do use Instagram though, mostly for comedic animal videos. I don’t see a problem with an algorithm that shows me content that is similar to what I actively watch. That saves time scrolling past videos of unboxings,creative pastry making, or other irrelevant topics. Other than being a time waster that activates our pleasure related neurotransmitters, I don’t see any specific correlation to pornography. A similar comparison could be made to gambling, video games, or any other hobby. A person gan get as engrossed in any activity as they as they choose.
“The internet age has afforded us a great many things, and primary among them is the ability to expose ourselves, without a filter.” as stated above from paragraph 14, Gay is being somewhat self conflicting. For starters, we’ve always been able to “expose ourselves without a filter”(Roxanne Gay, the new pornographer) we just don’t get punched in the face when we do it online. Anyone who creates social media content knows that filters are widely used, from selective editing to photoshop. She refutes her own argument in her opening line ” The influencers, yes, with their perfect makeup and strategic camera angles and professional lighting, all to make their lives seem enviable”
In paragraph 3, Gay states Families with 10 or more children, often evangelical, who own innumerable coordinated outfits, and think quite highly of themselves even though they are never doing much of anything on camera.’ She goes on to list other influencers seeming pretending to be what they’re not. I sense some sour grapes here. Evangelicals have had a reputation for riding on a high horse about their beliefs long before the digital age. The line “innumerable coordinated outfits” indicates wealth, this may have triggered the authors envy. Psychologists have been saying that people who repeatedly watch videos of others having fun, making their lives seem like a paradise are at an increased risk of not just feeling down on their own lives, but of developing clinical depression. This article indicates that Gay might be one of them.
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TikTok is a useful app when you have a lot of time to waste and nothing else to do The app provides enjoyable content that can make a boring moment worth wild Some of the content can include educational facts as well.
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I believe that TikTok has a lot more downsides than upsides, among which addiction is like an unstoppable force which is going completely out of our hands cause there are no remedial measures taken to prevent this. It’s like a cancerous growth that’s slowly consuming us and that’s the reason why I abhor the usage of TikTok or any other social media platform, unless it’s absolutely necessary. This compulsion to keep scrolling unnecessary (and addictive, of course) content is going to have a detrimental affect on us in the long run. Although, its usage can be permitted if we were to utilise it for useful academic purposes (or in some instance for entertainment, in a controlled manner).
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While TikTok is addicting, it’s also something that everyone won’t stop scrolling on. People don’t enjoy scrolling on Facebook reels or Instagram reels because they don’t find the videos on these platforms to be funny. I believe that children under the age of 18 shouldn’t even have TikTok these kids are too young to be scrolling on their phones for hours on end. I believe that kids under the age of 15 shouldn’t have phones. These kids are still at the age where their minds are developing, these kids don’t need their faces glued for a screen for that long or at all.
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I think TikTok has more negatives than positives, mainly because it’s extremely addictive. People end up scrolling for no reason, and there aren’t many controls to stop it. That’s why I avoid using TikTok or other social media unless I really need to. Even though it can be useful for learning or limited entertainment, the way it’s usually used can harm our focus and well being.
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Many people argue that TikTok is simply harmless entertainment. Some of the commenters on this blog say that although the app can be addictive, it also helps users relax, stay informed, and connect with world events. From this point of view, TikTok is mostly a useful tool, and addiction only becomes a problem when users lack self-control. Roxane Gay challenges this idea by arguing that TikTok is intentionally designed to keep people scrolling and that the platform profits from users’ constant attention. Her comparison between TikTok and pornography suggests that both rely on endless desire and the promise of something better appearing next.
I mostly agree with Gay because her argument highlights how technology shapes behavior rather than simply reflecting it. Many users believe they choose to stay on TikTok, but the app’s system is carefully built to predict what people want to see and their emotional reactions. The endless stream of short videos makes it easy to lose track of time, creating a cycle where users keep searching for the next moment of pleasure. In this sense, TikTok is less about individual weakness and more about a system designed to maximize engagement.
However, I would partly disagree with the idea that TikTok is only harmful. Some commenters point out that the platform can spread news and educational content quickly, and I think this is true. For many young people, TikTok provides access to information and communities they might not find elsewhere.The problem is not the platform itself but the way it encourages people to keep using it without thinking. Entertainment and education can coexist, but users must develop awareness of how the app influences attention.
Gay’s discussion of “exposing ourselves without a filter” also raises an important issue. Social media gives people opportunities to express themselves openly, yet this exposure can make users feel pressure to perform or compare their lives with others. While sharing can build connection, it can also increase anxiety and unhappiness.
Overall, I agree with Gay that TikTok’s addictive structure deserves serious criticism. At the same time, I believe the solution is not complete rejection of the app but learning how to use it intentionally. Technology should support our lives rather than quietly controlling how we spend our time and attention.
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Like Gay, I agree that TikTok can be seen as a “kid-friendly” version of a pornography website in that it both platforms encourage compulsive usage through algorithms that keep users engaged for extended periods of time. This takes time, a very valuable commodity, away from the more important things in life. TikTok has also been the source of a lot of misinformation, online beef, and overall stress and immaturity. While it’s argued that TikTok has some positive aspects, such as providing a moment of entertainment or staying up to date on important news, there are evidently many more negative aspects to the app.
The main similarity between a porn site and TikTok lies in their design: both capitalize on and maintain their users’ addiction. TikTok in particular feeds off the fact that its users are, as Gay puts it, “insatiably curious and sometimes, insatiably nosy.” Without this endless curiosity and nosiness, many social media influencers would be left without a platform. Gay emphasizes that, especially among younger groups, there’s a burning desire to fit in and be like everyone else, which influencers exploit. They lure viewers in with engaging “Day in the Life” videos, which prompt users to revisit their pages. Before they know it, 10 minutes of scrolling becomes 4 hours, leaving them with only envy and longing for the influencer’s lifestyle. It’s insanely unhealthy, especially for younger groups, as it fosters a “follower” mindset and hinders their ability to think for themselves and become leaders.
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