Have you been on TikTok recently? Well, it is no longer any fun.
TikTok implemented a new feature into its app as of Sept. 12, 2023, and it has changed the scenery of the “For You” page. As a result, TikTok is no longer the fun and entertaining app it used to be.
Now, you have to weed through advertisements upon advertisements to get to any entertaining content.
The problem is that ads do not look like ads anymore. Creators can promote a product and sell it directly from a video that looks like regular content. There is a small disclaimer that states “eligible for commission” that appears above the caption; however, at first glance, the videos look virtually identical.
According to TikTok’s Business Help Center, TikTok Shop is a “one-stop E-commerce solution for driving sales and brand growth on TikTok. TikTok Shop allows sellers to sell products directly on TikTok through in-feed videos, LIVES, and the Showcase tab. It enables product discovery, product details, checkout, and post-payment activities all within the TikTok app.”
Note that the TikTok Shop is a solution for driving sales and brand growth. One might argue that it is the perfect solution to interacting with customers online. Business owners can directly respond to customer concerns and questions through the app. The customers can then buy products without even exiting the app’s interface.
Not only is shopping embedded in the app, but the algorithm also helps to push certain products. Content creators are taking advantage of this system and are selling items like brushes or sunscreen to the point where every few videos are a different ad for the same item.
Having all of this within the app might be a good way for small businesses to grow, but that is just the problem. It is too easy. It mixes entertainment with shopping and has created enormous pressure on users to be consumers.
This might be beneficial for the growth of small businesses that are trying to find their way in an economy that supports big corporations; however, it turns the social media app into a shopping website.
Advertising on TikTok also poses a threat to consumers in the form of scams. Countless accounts on TikTok take products from legitimate companies and reframe and repost them in an effort to scam users out of money.
These scam ads often use TikTok creators’ testimony without their consent in an effort to look more legitimate. They even go as far as creating fake websites with the products and selling them for unbelievably cheap prices.
Social media already has plenty of unhealthy pressures to consume and create content. Now, there is pressure to consume products. TikTok is feeding viewers advertisement after advertisement in hopes of growing sales.
Mindless scrolling has become mindless shopping. People are buying things they do not need because creators and influencers on the app are promoting anything and everything to make a commission.
TikTok has become a center of overconsumption. People who are into fashion are buying any and every pair of jeans that is being sold to them.
We are long past the days of Vine, when entertainment was the main purpose of applications. Now we are bombarded with ways to spend money we do not have.
Viewers might be able to cater their “For You” page enough to stop getting advertisements from creators, but the app is catering towards sales. It will take a long time to get away from the ads. So, unless you plan on spending hours scrolling past ads to get to funny or interesting videos, you might want to stay away.
Be wary of entering the TikTok app. There are plenty of other avenues for entertainment. For example, instead of trying to connect online, why don’t we connect face to face?
And, if you want to support small businesses, remember that going to your local physical stores is always an option. If we continue to support online shopping, physical stores will crumble.
