February 2021. Darkness has fallen by 4pm. It is illegal to leave my house more than once per day.
This isn’t an introduction to a dystopian novel. I’m merely reflecting on why I first downloaded TikTok - because there were few other ways to get a laugh almost a year into a global pandemic.
Since then, it has been a rollercoaster of a relationship. Can’t live with each other, can’t live without.
There have been months where I’ve gone all in, creating regular content and engaging with members of my niche’s community. But then I have to battle the algorithm to be seen, and my creativity dwindles as my methodical mind tries to ‘hack’ the FYP.
Then we’re back to square one and I become a content consumer instead. I ‘treat myself’ to five minutes of scrolling time, and half an hour later I emerge from a TikTok black hole with no idea what I was actually meant to be doing.
Is this how I want to spend my precious spare time? In a constant purgatory between a numb doomscroller and a servant to the algorithm?
No. It isn’t.
So, it’s time to say goodbye.
As I wrote in a recent article, I’m exhausted by over-consuming content. That isn’t relating to reading the Substacks I choose to subscribe to, it refers to the endless scrolling on Instagram and TikTok where the same songs and trends are playing over and over and over and over until I probably know all the moves to a TikTok dance without getting off my sofa.
It’s time to cut the cord.
Oh, but how will I survive?
Embarrassingly, I have been questioning what I’ll do without TikTok. The app is designed to be addictive, so I guess it’s done its job.
So here are a few things I think I’ll do instead of losing at least an hour a day to the app…
Empty my dishwasher as soon as I get home from work.
Read more books.
Write more.
Dedicate more time to Substack, because it fills my cup instead of smashing the entire thing on the floor.
Spend far less time on the toilet (sorry).
Do actual housework instead of saying I have no time to do it, then proceeding to prioritise my phone.
I went over two decades without needing to watch a silly clip every time I sat down, so I’m sure I’ll manage. What I will miss, though, is all the golden retriever videos…