Have we reached the end of TikTok's infinite scroll?
It all underlines a fundamental TikTok problem that remains unsolved: there has not yet been an evolution in the optimal content form. The storytelling styles that work best in this format have not yet been honed, at least not by professionals. For an app that demands a lot of attention, it doesn't require much brainpower. That makes TikTok vulnerable to those moments when viewers, to put it simply, stand out.
My breaking point has been approaching for months and TikTok seems to sense my impending reluctance. It tries to lure me in with multi-part videos about abandoned pets (dark); images of synchronized roller skating teams (cute); lengthy videos on hoof cleaning and art conservation (fascinating, for sure); and of course that one absurdist Turkish hairdresser/facialist/masseur (sign me up).
For an app that demands a lot of attention, it doesn't require much brainpower.
Every now and then it lands on something I find exciting or baffling or both, like the young music producer who excels at reproducing hip-hop beats made with FL Studio at lightning speed – less than 14 seconds for Soulja Boy's 'Crank That'. (Soulja boy).”
But even these joys are fleeting, making me think maybe I was the problem; my viewing habits and tastes were so ingrained that TikTok's refined algorithm avoided bothering me with anything outside my specific scope.
It's almost impossible to get out of that dead end without starting over, so I did. I logged out of my account and created a new one. Would TikTok be more ambitious, tastier, and more distracting if it didn't have to worry about serving up what it felt I needed?
It was chilly for a few minutes. I saw videos of teenagers dancing to Russian music and ice fishing in China. There was a monkey who saw fries cooking in an air fryer and snow in Dubai (that turned out not to be Dubai). This was the stuff of 'America's Funniest Home Videos' and 'Ridiculousness' – my own algorithm denied me these crazy pleasures. Then came cooking videos, but only the most banal ones. Dance clips, but hardly anything with personality. Content so lifeless and devoid of charm that it might as well have been generated by AI
Maybe TikTok has been protecting me all this time?
I tried to stick around for videos I might otherwise skip, liking unexpected clips in hopes of triggering another set of recommendations. And with every attempt to go against my own instincts, I became more frustrated and dissatisfied. There was no escape: I missed my characters. It didn't even take a full day before I logged back into my own account. Was it boring? It was. But it was a gentle kind of boredom, not offensive enough to eliminate, and still sprinkled with bits of hope for a sensation that was just a swipe away.