My Addiction to Bite-Sized Learning
I am one of the 315 million users who joined TikTok in the beginning of Covid. Since initial download, my interactions with the app have become habitual, but I am not performing silly dances or lip syncing-this product offers more depth than meets the eye. It is a window into the modern zeitgeist, a tool to learn tips from product design professionals, receive skincare advice from dermatologists, discover new artists and infinitely more.
McLuhan’s The Medium is the Message is essential in understanding the brilliance in TikTok’s success. This product offers users accessible one-minute clips of information that span genres with the swipe of a finger. Creating a landscape where complex ideas are broken down and into digestible moments and time restraints force creators to squeeze the essence of their content into meaningful bites.
This principle is echoed in the design of the “For You” page. The only iconography on the screen are like, comment, and share. Users may only swipe while the algorithm tailors videos that both seem eerily personal or like a gem of discovery. The videos users receive are not simply from those they follow, but a diverse accumulation of people globally, from zero followers to millions of followers fostering a sense of community. These elements reinforce two ideas- simplicity and discovery.
I believe that is the secret sauce of TikTok, the interface captures the users attention automatically, fostering exploration and feeding the curious mind. The minimal design encourages continuous swiping, making the app borderline addictive -exemplified as average usage to 80 minutes per day earlier this year.
In light of the uncertainty of TikTok’s future in the U.S., competitors such as Quibi and Instagram Reels will attempt to fill the gap. Yet, TikTok has carved a unique identity among social media giants in it’s ability to feel so of-the-moment and youthful. It’s community is filled with curious young minds attempting to understand the world around them, self-taught go-getters who will build a better tomorrow, and experts who effectively communicate to a young audience.
Feeling connected in a time of isolation is difficult, yet products such as Zoom and TikTok have risen to meteoric success for their ability to foster human connection digitally. To be human is to interact with people, to learn, and to be curious. TikTok’s design reinforces these qualities in way that is so usable it becomes addictive.
