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Why is TikTok so popular?

29 replies

AlPras · 24/10/2025 19:55

Why is TikTok so popular among young people? Seems to be everywhere these days although I'm not sure I fully grasped the extent as to how popular it was.

I read today that 84% of young women and 67% of young men use TikTok regularly which is insane to me and I did not think it was that popular (The original source is this report I think: https://ukonward.com/reports/ballot-of-the-sexes/).

I have managed to keep my DD and DS off of it so far, but they keep coming home and saying that they are missing out and all their friend use it etc. etc.

I just don't get why they all use it so much? Is it the dopamine craving of constant short video hits? Is it internet FOMO? Perplexed by it.

Ballot of the Sexes | Onward

Introduction Elections from across the Western world have shown a widening gender gap between men and women. America, Germany, and South Korea have all seen political polarisation along gender lines, with young women moving rapidly leftwards and young...

https://ukonward.com/reports/ballot-of-the-sexes/

OP posts:
ImthatBoleyngirl · 24/10/2025 21:41

Bluejay0 · 24/10/2025 20:41

I can never get into video based social media, especially the short form ones like tiktok. Maybe I'm just too old for it. Do many older people (I'm early 30s) use it or is it mostly teenagers?

I'm 46 and I love it, but then most of my videos are funny animals, cleaning/organising, ADHD stuff and makeup routines.

AlPras · 24/10/2025 21:43

YourSnifferDogsAreShite · 24/10/2025 21:14

You have to battle through all that shite initially, until it knows what you like. Long press on vids you don’t like and choose “not interested”. I do that with anything to do with football or dancing and it sorts everything out for a few weeks. Until it shows me football again. 🙄 All I want is cute animals, art and stuff about the USA turning into Gilead.

Interesting, didn't know you could alter what your algorithm shows you on the for you page but sounds like you can with the "not interested" feature.

OP posts:
YourSnifferDogsAreShite · 24/10/2025 21:48

AlPras · 24/10/2025 21:43

Interesting, didn't know you could alter what your algorithm shows you on the for you page but sounds like you can with the "not interested" feature.

Yeah be brutal with the “not interested” button and actively search for stuff you’re interested in and it learns soon enough.

TBH anyone who watches videos on Insta or FB reels is just seeing the same vids as me, but six months later haha!

incognitomouse · 24/10/2025 21:58

I love it. I've got such a busy day job, my 30-60 minutes at the end of the day mindlessly watching TikTok is relaxation.

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