Why Is TikTok So Addictive?

Most platforms use interactions to get people hooked. Liking, commenting, sharing, following. There is a gratification to getting likes and followers.

I avoided downloading TikTok for years. I downloaded it in 2021 and noticed it was different from other platforms. I couldn't stop watching it. I spent more time on TikTok than on any other application. I was constantly scrolling through an endless stream of videos and people's lives. If I opened it in bed, I would stay up hours past when I would normally fall asleep. For what? Short videos that seemed trivial. I ended up deleting TikTok but the question remained. What made it more addictive than any other social media I had used?

I was not the only one asking this question. Tech Times spoke to sociologist Julie Albright in search of answers. Albright related TikTok to gambling. We never know what kind of video we are going to get scrolling, whether we are going to like it or not. I thought the algorithm studied my habits to decide what videos I would like the most, and it does to an extent.

Their algorithm isn't always accurate, and while that seems like it would be a bad thing, it works in their favor. It is like gambling. We can scroll through endless videos unsure of when we will get that one we like which creates psychological satisfaction. We are always seeking more; the next video we like while scrolling through ones we are not interested in. 

TikTok is an endless feed that makes it convenient for users. We can follow people if we'd like, but we don't have to. It's all done for us. Tiktok also presents us with a plethora of information. Whether we use those life hacks or not, this new information rewards our brains and releases dopamine. 

It is important to remember that while we hold TikTok in the palms of our hands, it is wired much deeper into our minds and has bled into every corner of our modern world. TikTok music and jokes are thrown into casual conversations and they circulate on other platforms. TikTok has captivated the world and is wired to reward our minds into scrolling.

With an infinite feed, it never ends.