Stop Watching TikTok's Cringe Videos Because TikTok Is Destroying Society

Summary

The video script criticizes TikTok as a platform that exploits young users, particularly girls, for views and profits, promoting inappropriate content and contributing to societal issues like narcissism and short attention spans. It raises concerns about TikTok's data collection practices, suggesting it serves Chinese government interests, potentially threatening user privacy and national security. The script calls for viewers to reject the app to protect themselves and society at large.

Takeaways

• 📱 TikTok is criticized as a platform that encourages vulgarity and self-absorption, particularly among young users.
• 💃 The app is said to incentivize underage girls to behave provocatively for the entertainment of male viewers, raising concerns about exploitation.
• 🔥 TikTok's rapid growth in downloads surpasses that of other social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, indicating its significant influence.
• 👎 The script suggests that TikTok's algorithm promotes content that is more vulgar and attention-grabbing, potentially devaluing talent.
• 🧐 The app's design is accused of exploiting young girls seeking internet fame, with a focus on sexual content as a means to gain followers.
• 🚨 There are concerns about the mental health effects of TikTok, with studies suggesting increased depression from watching short, repetitive videos.
• 🧠 TikTok is described as neurologically damaging, with the potential to reduce attention spans to levels comparable to a goldfish.
• 🇨🇳 The app's Chinese ownership raises security concerns, with the implication that user data could be shared with the Chinese government.
• 🔒 TikTok's privacy policy is criticized for collecting extensive user data, potentially including keystrokes, location, and messages.
• 🛑 Government and military bodies have recognized TikTok as a cyber threat, advising against its use on official devices and suggesting uninstallation.
• 🌐 The script suggests TikTok could be used for political influence and propaganda, aligning with China's interests in global information dissemination.

Q & A

What is the primary concern expressed in the script about TikTok?

The script expresses concern that TikTok is a platform that promotes vulgarity and inappropriate content, especially targeting underage girls and viewers, and has a negative impact on society and young adults' mental health.

Why does the script describe TikTok as 'dehumanizing'?

The script describes TikTok as 'dehumanizing' because it suggests the platform encourages users to objectify themselves and others for views and attention, reducing human interaction to superficial engagements.

What is the script's view on the influence of TikTok on young adults' future?

The script suggests that TikTok's influence on young adults is concerning as it shapes their values and behaviors towards seeking instant fame and validation through inappropriate means, rather than genuine talent or fulfillment.

How does the script relate TikTok to the concept of '15 minutes of fame'?

The script references Andy Warhol's idea of '15 minutes of fame' to illustrate how TikTok enables anyone to achieve short-lived fame through the platform, often for low-quality or vulgar content.

What is the script's opinion on the content created by TikTok stars, such as Charlie D'Amelio?

The script criticizes the content created by TikTok stars like Charlie D'Amelio, stating that it often involves sexualized dancing and provocative clothing, which sets a poor example for younger viewers.

What does the script suggest about the impact of TikTok on viewers' attention spans?

The script suggests that TikTok's short, dopamine-inducing video format has led to a significant decline in viewers' attention spans, making it difficult for them to focus on longer, more meaningful content.

How does the script describe the business model of TikTok in terms of user data?

The script describes TikTok's business model as invasive, collecting extensive amounts of user data including metadata, GPS locations, and keystrokes, and potentially sharing this data with the Chinese government.

What security concerns does the script raise about TikTok's data collection practices?

The script raises concerns that TikTok's data collection practices pose a significant security risk, as the app is legally required to share user data with the Chinese government, which could be used for surveillance or other nefarious purposes.

What is the script's stance on the potential political influence of TikTok's algorithm?

The script suggests that TikTok's algorithm could potentially be manipulated to promote content that aligns with China's political goals, subtly influencing users' perceptions and potentially impacting political outcomes.

What does the script recommend as a course of action regarding TikTok?

The script strongly recommends that people should stop using TikTok, uninstall it from their devices, and reject the app entirely due to its negative societal impacts and privacy concerns.

Outlines

00:00

📱 TikTok's Impact on Youth and Society

The first paragraph discusses the negative impact of TikTok on teenagers and society at large. It criticizes the platform for promoting inappropriate content, particularly for underage girls, and for encouraging narcissism and instant fame. The paragraph also touches on the addictive nature of the app, which is likened to a gambling mechanism, and its potential to cause psychological distress and a decline in attention spans. The script suggests that TikTok's design exploits young users' desire for internet fame, leading to a new generation of role models that are more focused on appearance than talent or substance.

05:01

🕊️ The Dark Side of TikTok's Algorithm and Data Collection

The second paragraph delves into the psychological effects of TikTok's algorithm, which uses intermittent reinforcement to keep users engaged. It compares the app's impact on attention spans to that of a slot machine in a casino, suggesting that the unpredictable rewards keep users hooked. The paragraph also raises concerns about TikTok's data collection practices, noting that the app collects an extensive amount of user data, including keystrokes, search history, and location data. It highlights the security risks associated with TikTok's Chinese ownership and the potential for the Chinese government to access this data, which has led to bans and warnings from various U.S. government agencies.

10:03

🔒 TikTok's Privacy Concerns and National Security Risks

The third paragraph focuses on the privacy issues and national security risks associated with TikTok. It describes how the app's privacy policy allows for extensive data collection and how it has been caught monitoring user activity beyond the app itself. The paragraph emphasizes the legal requirement for TikTok to share user data with the Chinese government, which poses a significant risk to American users. It also discusses the potential for TikTok to be used as a tool for propaganda and political influence by the Chinese government, raising the question of whether the app could be subtly manipulated to promote content that aligns with China's interests.

15:05

🌐 The Cultural Impact and Resistance to TikTok

The fourth paragraph addresses the cultural impact of TikTok and the resistance to it. It discusses the app's widespread use despite awareness of its potential harms and the role of celebrities, governments, and media in promoting the platform. The paragraph suggests that the desire for fame and conformity drives the continued popularity of TikTok, even as it contributes to a decline in critical thinking and an increase in superficial values. It calls for a collective rejection of the app to prevent further damage to society and individual well-being.

Keywords

💡Vulgar

Vulgar refers to something that is coarse, unrefined, or lacking in taste or decency. In the video's context, it is used to criticize the content on TikTok, suggesting that the platform promotes inappropriate or offensive material, particularly towards young audiences. The script mentions this in relation to the behavior of underage girls and the platform's role in encouraging such conduct.

💡Self-absorbed

Self-absorbed describes a person who is excessively concerned with their own interests or image. The video uses this term to characterize the users of TikTok, implying that the platform fosters a culture of narcissism and self-promotion, where users seek fame and validation at the expense of genuine talent or substance.

💡Dehumanizing

Dehumanizing means to deprive of human qualities, such as sympathy or compassion. The script uses this term to argue that TikTok reduces individuals to mere commodities for the sake of views and engagement, treating them as objects for consumption rather than respecting their humanity.

💡Narcissism

Narcissism is the excessive interest in or admiration of oneself. The video suggests that TikTok promotes a culture of narcissism, where young people are encouraged to seek fame and validation through self-promotion and superficial displays of attractiveness, rather than through meaningful achievements or personal growth.

💡Social Engineering

Social engineering involves manipulating individuals to perform actions or divulge confidential information. In the context of the video, TikTok is accused of using social engineering techniques to manipulate user behavior, such as the use of algorithms to create addiction to the app and the collection of extensive user data.

💡Intermittent Reinforcement

Intermittent reinforcement is a psychological concept where a behavior is reinforced on a random schedule, making the behavior more resistant to extinction. The video explains that TikTok employs this technique to keep users engaged, as the unpredictable nature of content rewards keeps them scrolling in the hope of finding the next 'hit' of entertainment.

💡Short-term Memory

Short-term memory refers to the capacity to hold a limited amount of information in mind for a brief period. The script argues that the constant consumption of short, rapid-fire content on TikTok is negatively impacting the short-term memory and attention span of its users, contributing to a generation with reduced cognitive abilities in these areas.

💡Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of rules or steps used to solve a problem or perform a computation. In the video, the term is used to describe how TikTok's algorithm is designed to promote certain types of content, such as vulgar or attention-grabbing material, which can shape user behavior and preferences.

💡Cyber Threat

A cyber threat refers to any potential danger to the integrity, availability, or confidentiality of a digital system. The video labels TikTok as a cyber threat due to its data collection practices and potential for misuse by its parent company, which is subject to Chinese law and could share data with the Chinese government.

💡Propaganda

Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. The script suggests that TikTok could be used as a tool for spreading Chinese propaganda, influencing global perceptions and potentially affecting political outcomes.

💡Censorship

Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. The video mentions that TikTok engages in censorship, aligning with the Chinese government's interests by suppressing content that does not conform to its narrative, such as information about human rights abuses or political dissent.

Highlights

TikTok is criticized as a vulgar, self-absorbed, and dehumanizing social media platform, particularly marketed to teenagers.

The platform is accused of incentivizing underage girls to behave provocatively for the viewing pleasure of teenage boys and potential predators.

TikTok's rapid downloads surpass those of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, raising concerns about its societal impact.

Examples given include TikTokers like Charlie D'Amelio, who gained over 100 million followers by posting provocative content.

Concerns about the influence of TikTok on young minds, with underage stars setting poor examples for teenage girls.

TikTok's design is said to exploit young girls seeking internet fame through sexual content.

Studies show a correlation between watching short TikTok-style videos and increased depression.

TikTok's algorithm is criticized for promoting vulgarity over talent, reshaping the concept of fame.

The app's design encourages instant gratification, potentially reducing users' attention spans to that of a goldfish.

TikTok's use of social engineering tech tactics, such as intermittent reinforcement, is likened to gambling mechanisms.

Concerns about TikTok's data collection practices, including monitoring user behavior across different apps.

TikTok's Chinese ownership and the requirement to share user data with the Chinese government pose a significant security risk.

The app's influence on politics and culture, with the potential to shape real-world events and opinions.

TikTok's censorship practices align with China's political goals, raising questions about information manipulation.

The potential for TikTok's algorithm to be subtly manipulated to promote political content favorable to Beijing's interests.

The app's rapid growth and widespread promotion despite the identified risks, highlighting a lack of discernable backlash.

A call to action to reject TikTok to prevent further psychological and societal damage.

Transcripts

Tik Tok is the most vulgar vapid

self-absorbed and dehumanizing social

media site in living

memory it's a platform marketed to

teenagers which incentivizes underage

girls to like burlesque dancers in strip

clubs for the viewing pleasure of sex

craze teenage boys and literal pedos

this is why Tik Tok serves as a sewer

pipe of projectile diarrhea aimed

directly at our gping mou

M and with everyone in their dog trying

to get as many views as possible Tik Tok

has managed to gain a foothold in the

psyche of tomorrow's young adults as

Andy wol said in the future everyone

will be world famous for 15 minutes so

then the question is where the hell did

this way of Tik Tok downloads even come

from why did the Reddit CEO call Tik Tok

fundamentally parasitic and why are

governments around the world becoming so

nervous about Tik Tok something else is

going

on

it's no exaggeration when I say that Tik

Tok is damaging society which is a

worring fact when you consider that Tik

Tok is being downloaded as an

exceptional rate garnering more

downloads than Facebook YouTube or

Instagram and with this has come an

unparalleled rise in the eth thoughts I

mean the majority of post on the site

look like underage girls either showing

off their bodies or being explicitly

sexual for example just look at the the

Tik tokers such as Charlie demilio a

16-year-old girl who does nothing but

shake her ass withar skimpy clothes and

dance to insid Dro likee songs from

doing just this she has gained over 100

million followers on Tik Tok with so

many of these followers being horny men

I'm so [ __ ] horny what's even worse

is that most of these Tik Tok Stars

haven't even left school but nonetheless

this is in turn incentivizing the guys

watching to mimic that exact behavior

and Chase the same dopamine Dragon hang

on I almost cut the

dragon Tik tok's design then exploits

these young under raised teenage girls

who are trying to become internet Famous

by being sexy and honestly it's just

disturbing so as Tik Tok grows these

sorts of people are the new role models

for teenage girls I mean is any wonder

that doctors on Tik Tok are telling

12-year-olds to get STD treatments

without their parents'

knowledge your punch is to roll you

better to keep me focused you

[Music]

this is just one of the reasons why

studies are now showing that the more of

these short Tik Tok Style videos you

watch the more depressed you become even

for active people who exercise

[Laughter]

regularly being famous used to require

having actual talent but now as a result

of Tik Tok the measure of Fame for teens

is directly proportionate with the

volume of tasteless de borty the

algorithm promotes vulgarity has

replaced Talent the more vulgar and

obtrusive the

better

hello who are

you I'm here to help you I can make you

rich and

famous really you just have to do one

thing get naked in front of everybody

and worship

me does that really work of course it

works I will make you extremely wealthy

in exchange I need your soul I mean

friendship do we have a

deal deal thanks to Tik Tok young people

are increasingly buying into the idea

that narcissism not fulfillment not

meaning not authenticity but narcissism

is the ultimate measure of satisfaction

and is it really any Wonder given the

Warped and corrosive view that's fed to

Generation Z by Tik tok's algorithm but

then again that's the leas of Tik tok's

problems because Tik Tok isn't just a

pressing and creepy it's neurologically

damaging never before have we seen

attention bans drop so low it's being

reported that many in Generation Z have

had their attention bans produced to

that of a goldfish you would think this

girl like her [ __ ] skin is growing

onto this phone she never goes anywhere

without this phone in her hand and she's

always looking at it like she can't talk

to anybody for 5 seconds without looking

at her phone checking Tik

Tok I was in a video drought you know

the feeling there are videos we watch

because we got to watch something and

it's better this than nothing you get

stuck here long enough and you start

drifting back to Tinder and Snapchat but

you know that's not where you belong so

you tried this and that some videos get

you with fancy graphics and thumbnails

and all too often making you feel like

you've been robbed of time I couldn't

bring myself to go there and with

friends and family constantly talking

about Tik Tok I eventually caved and

downloaded it it took me over an hour to

escape from the most Hollow and vacuous

videos I wasted so much time watching

Apes Sky shooting sword shotguns and

just complete narcissists and in my own

experience after watching these videos

for hours I struggled to read a book for

more than 15 minutes without getting

fidgety and I wasn't the only one having

this issue far from it turns out a whole

generation of people are now wired into

these dopamine sucking videos with the

original source of this ugly Behavior

being Tik Tok the way Tik Tok works is

that it adjusts your mind to demand as

much instant pleasure as possible and if

you don't believe me just try watching a

movie from the 50s 60s or even 70s after

going on Tik Tok and I reckon in most

cases within minutes you'll be wondering

when will something happen and this is

because Tik Tok uses social engineering

Tech tactics and one of the most

effective ones Tik Tok uses is called

intermittent

reinforcement you can see intermittent

reinforcements most clearly in a casino

for example when you use a slot machine

you don't win every time or win the same

amount because not only would it cost

the casino a ton of money but if you did

win every time the excitement and fun of

gambling would be lost because when we

expect a reward after a certain action

we tend to work less for it yet when the

timing of the reward or the certainty

that we get at to is unpredictable we

tend to repeat the behavior with even

more enthusiasm if you're going F

fishing for example and you're on a boat

for hours and hours and you finally

catch that fish it feels so much better

than just buying it on the counter this

is because we as humans relish the joy

of a hard on reward that much more and

so in the case of Tik Tok a video has to

capture a Us's attention very quickly to

cause them to watch the whole thing the

video doesn't Capt your attention within

a couple of seconds it's Swip and on to

the next one and so after countless

videos fail to give you that dopamine

rush you will finally find that gem that

video you never knew you wanted so badly

hey you guys I'm here at the Minnesota

State Fair and

Peppa what are you doing at the

Minnesota State Fair Fair only for our

attention to last another 30 seconds or

so before being hypnotized by the next

video over and over this can go on for

hours and the scrolling nature of Tik

Tok allows you to watch the first couple

of seconds of hundreds of videos

occasionally finding that one that gives

you that Rush of dopamine so when you

look at Tik Tok it's interesting because

it is a scroll but they've actually done

something new I I want to say in some

ways and they have the vertical scroll

which is what you have on Facebook for

example you're scrolling up uh on the

news feed uh but what this does is if

you stop on a video and you like that

video you now it will re it'll restart

that video so in a sense you've got a

horizontal scroll going on pleasurable

content and you also have a vertical

scroll going both

it will just autoload and you'll just

you'll be in this pleasurable dopamine

State carried away it's almost hypnotic

you know you'll keep watching and

watching and then if you want to scroll

up there you go on the traditional

scroll again to the next oh you know and

there goes that dopamine hit again this

is leading to a huge decline in

generation C short-term memory and

attention span which is why Tik Tok

serves as an opio to the masses reducing

our mental moral and physical

capabilities and return for that sweet

me hits oh but I agree I think we have

no idea we have no idea what technology

is how it's going to impact in the long

run we don't have enough of a test case

yet and I can look at my kids and there

and just within my little microcosm of

my three little dudes their uh sort of

their attention span right and their

ability to and you can see it impacting

you can see it impact the way that they

study the way they learn the way and I I

don't think we're you know again I'm not

a lite you know but I don't know that

we're doing ourselves any favors right

and I don't think there are we're doing

ourselves favors either and I don't

think there's any way of pull pulling

back from and who's better at Social

Engineering than Tik tok's biggest

investors the Chinese government Tik

tok's highest ranks are unsurprisingly

littered with Chinese officials the very

same people who have been using Silicon

Valley funded social credit scores to

control their

population

this is just one of the many many

reasons the Pentagon declared Tik Tok a

cyber threat I think the the US military

has instructed all Personnel to stay off

of Tik Tok you know or not to use Tik

Tok yeah yeah again because of the same

concern the whole idea is this platform

because you know these these companies

can argue all they want to that they're

independent from the Chinese you know

authorities but ultimately if the

Chinese authorities knock on their door

and say we would like access to your

database because we want to Hoover up

all the information about every us mil a

person you know that's stationed

wherever or you know they're going to do

it they're trying to get one of the top

Tik Tok Executives in here really yeah

interesting it's considered a cyber

threat Lieutenant Colonel Robin Ocha an

army spokeswoman told military.com we do

not allow it on government phones there

you go look at that a cyber threat but

Tik Tok turning us into brain dead

goldfish consumers is just one Cog

within the Tik Tok cancer because as you

become addicted to the app you ignore

Tik tok's privacy page a privacy page

that literally admits to collecting as

much data as possible from metadata GPS

location and pulling all contact

information from your Facebook Instagram

and phone but even worse Tik Tok was

caught monitoring what users were typing

even when they were typing on different

apps so where does all this data go to

the Chinese government by law Tik Tok

has to provide all the data on its users

to the Chinese government this is why

the amount of user information and data

collected by Tik Tok is much higher than

other social networks more teenagers are

on Tik Tok now then use Facebook it

counts millions and millions and

millions of Americans as users but it is

owned by a Chinese company that includes

Chinese Communist party members in

leadership and it is required under

Chinese law to share user data with

Beijing and Tik Tok has admitted that it

has sent user data to China to put it

bluntly this is a major security risks

risk for the American people but us the

has been downloaded 165 million times in

the US it might be too late for that to

matter because if each of these

downloads is unique more than half of

the American population has already

turned over their most sensitive data to

the Chinese government we already know

that sites like Facebook and Google are

free because you the user are the

product but even then Instagram Facebook

and Twitter they don't collect anywhere

near the same amount of data that Tik

Tok does now trying to hide a l Tik Tok

does they just don't compare because

allowing your profile to be mind for

targeted ads is a world away from

servicing a literal dictatorship

committing an Untold amount of

atrocities and what kind of data is Tik

Tok collecting as it runs on our phones

a heck of a lot more than you would

think images of course that users post

but Tik Tok also collects information

about the messages that you send about

the apps that you use the other apps on

your phone it collects the sites that

you visit it collects your search

history it collects your keystrokes it

collects your location data it's St all

of this and maybe lots lots more and I

can tell you as the father of two small

children uh who already have many of

their friends on social media even

though they're quite young I find this

absolutely horrifying and we know that

it's a national security risk since our

last hearing on this subject the

Pentagon the Department of State the

Department of Homeland Security and the

TSA have all banned their employees and

service members from using Tik Tok on

government devices in fact the Pentagon

even went so far as to say that

employees should have their children

uninstall Tik Tok from their personal

devices it was for these exact reasons

that the CEO of Reddit claimed that Tik

Tok was parasitic the CEO claimed the

fact that it's always listening and the

finger printing technology they use is

truly terrifying and I could not bring

myself to install an app like that on my

phone he also added I actively tell

people don't install that spyware on

your phone but then again maybe sending

off your biometric data back to an

authoritarian regime is worth it for the

High Caliber Tik tokers just shake that

ass for Joe Biden we don't actually like

him but what to do just vote blue get

Trump out of office and start new what's

that transient Rush of narcissistic

fulfillment really worth it for

promoting an app that is literally

designed to give your data to a country

that openly wants to take over the world

maybe it is maybe Tik Tok deserves some

credit because the unprecedented

psychological changes it's bringing to

generation C is truly

remarkable it's all almost as if Tik Tok

is China's attempt at pushing their

propaganda out to the world I mean that

would explain why researchers have grown

worried that the app could proved to be

one of China's most effective weapons in

the Global Information War bringing

Chinese style censorship to mainstream

us audiences and shaping how they

understand real world events the

imprisonment of more than a million

Wagers the corruption of upper level

party members Pro Taiwan Pro Hong Kong

Pro Tibet movements all of it is

censored anything that's a new source

must be in line with the version of the

world China wants people to see this is

because China has caught under the fact

that those who control social media

algorithms pick the president most

powerful people in the world today are

the people who are writing the

algorithms for Twitter and Facebook and

Instagram because they're controlling

the spread of information they're

literally rewriting people's brains

they're programming the culture the day

is coming when the politicians realize

that these social media platforms are

picking the next president the next

Congressman they're literally picking so

if sites like Facebook and Twitter can

influence politics and such a huge way

what can a ruthlessly dystopian

Communist Regime do as the analyst Ben

Thompson observed it is conceivable that

Tik tok's algorithm could be changed

almost invisibly to promote videos that

could help further China's political

goals you know for example Tik Tok could

subtly show just 2% more Pro Biden

content than users would usually see and

a million of these small nudges could

tip things in a Direction that's more

favorable to beijing's interests this is

why China has been pouring a ton of

money into getting Tik Tok widely used

through a campaign of PID content

creation and marketing because once they

got their widescale Buy in China had

free reign China could start growing its

cultural influence and it's really

really working considering right now

tonight a ban on Chinese social media

apps especially Tik Tok we're certainly

looking at it we've worked on this very

issue for a long time would you

recommend that people download that app

on their phones only if you want your

private information in the hands of the

Chinese gin this party the ignorance to

Tik Tok is still pervasive Tik Tok is

downloaded thousands of times every hour

and the British government continues to

allow the owners of Tik Tok to establish

a headquarters in London it just

highlights Britain's pathetic dependence

on trying to for easy money because in

our clown Society the desire for cheaper

Goods is worth more than the price of

Freedom with all this knowledge out

there we still see Tik Tok use growing

exponentially because celebrities

governments and the media continue to

promote it everywhere you go Tik Tok

links are dished out and with everyone

promoting it trying to get that 15

minutes of fame they crave you'll end up

feeling like you need to see what's

going on because if you've got your

friends on there you celebrities

politicians and the media companies like

the BBC promoting Tik Tok you might feel

a need to download the app you want to

know what everyone's talking about you

need to feel that Affinity with your

peers and that's why there's no

discernable backlash against Tik Tok

it's all predicated on

Conformity we are seeing our minds rck

we are becoming so numb with the Deluge

of entertainment on offer that we have

no time or interest in improving our Liv

lives no attention span to form our own

ideas no care for the exential threat

trying to poses we have to stop watching

Tik Tok videos we have to stop

downloading Tik Tok we have to

completely reject this app before it's

too

late