TikTok not only provides entertainment, it also affects our brains in ways you never thought possible

Tram Ho

Known as a social networking platform that provides content with short videos, at the time TikTok was just introduced this platform limited videos to less than 1 minute. In the later stage, although allowing users to post 10-minute videos, short videos still account for a large proportion and have a higher rate of trending.

Unlike YouTube, when users will actively search for the type of content they want to watch, for TikTok the system will always suggest content that matches the user’s interests, you will not be able to know exactly what you will do. what content can be viewed.

TikTok không chỉ mang đến sự giải trí, nó còn ảnh hưởng đến não bộ chúng ta theo cách bạn chưa nghĩ tới - Ảnh 1.

What’s more, the use of TikTok allows you to skip uninteresting content and quickly come to new content with just a swipe, all of which create curiosity and stimulation. users always want to keep “surfing” to discover more new content.

TikTok – “Addiction” on the digital platform

It will not be an exaggeration to call TikTok a “stimulant” on a digital platform, because using TikTok every day will make users “addicted” and always have to spend a lot of time just using it. this social network.

TikTok không chỉ mang đến sự giải trí, nó còn ảnh hưởng đến não bộ chúng ta theo cách bạn chưa nghĩ tới - Ảnh 2.

A study called “How information is like snacks, money, and drugs-to your brain” conducted by the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business found that our brains reward themselves for learning the same information, unlike when we get the things we crave (like eating a cake), the brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which allows us to feel happy and satisfied as a reward for satisfying your cravings.

When you watch an interesting video on TikTok, your brain will start to release dopamine, creating pleasure, satisfaction, and euphoria. Dopamine will make the user crave for things and act on the amount of dopamine he or she expects to get from a certain activity, specifically here watching TikTok videos. Dr. Julie Albright, from the University of Southern California, once told Forbes: “When you’re surfing TikTok… sometimes you see a photo or something interesting and grabs your attention. , you get small amounts of dopamine…in the pleasure center of the brain.”

Dopamine creates “reward” search loops, meaning that users will find ways to repeat interesting behavior, like when we feel satisfied after eating a delicious food and want to eat it again. .

The scary thing here is that dopamine will be worn out when users have to leave TikTok to do boring personal tasks every day. When this happens, users are more likely to seek gratification from TikTok and the addiction cycle continues. Dr. Julie added: “When surfing TikTok continuously, you will feel comfortable because you are in a state of being supplied with dopamine. It is almost hypnotic and makes you keep watching, keep watching.”

TikTok không chỉ mang đến sự giải trí, nó còn ảnh hưởng đến não bộ chúng ta theo cách bạn chưa nghĩ tới - Ảnh 3.

It seems that the TikTok development team knows this and they have sought to build a very special content recommendation mechanism, to create surprises and always give the right content that users need. is algorithm. Every social networking platform has their own content recommendation algorithms, but the algorithm that TikTok creates is so “strong” that it once made Facebook intend to copy and was publicly warned by TikTok.

Like Instagram, the TikTok algorithm is based on recommendations for user interactions with content on the app. Any interaction will be data that provides clues as to what kind of content the user will like or dislike to see. Here are some criteria:

– The accounts you follow

– The creator you’ve hidden

– Comments you posted

– Videos you’ve liked or shared on the app

– Videos you added to your favorites

– Videos you have marked as “Not interested”

– The video you reported is inappropriate

– Videos that you watch from start to finish (also known as video finish rate)

– Content you create on your own account

– Interests you’ve shown by interacting with ads and organic content

There are still a lot of other interactions that are tracked by TikTok to recommend content for you. The efficiency in the TikTok algorithm has helped the platform reap many “sweet fruits”, in October 2022 TikTok recorded 1 billion daily users globally (According to a report from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily) .

Of course, TikTok is not the only social networking platform that helps users feel euphoric and fulfilled. But with its “powerful” algorithm and easy browsing of content, TikTok has the potential to have a greater impact on users’ brains. If social networking is considered an addictive thing, then Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, … are tobacco, alcohol and TikTok is more addictive.

Impaired concentration if “addicted” to TikTok

It’s hard to accept that using a social network like TikTok will affect our brains, because the appearance of a short video is so “beautiful” it brings humor, sometimes a sense of humor. Relax in moments of stress. But hidden deep inside are the negatives that are affecting our brains every day.

Attention Span is a period of time when a person can focus on solving tasks without being distracted. Attention Span is a stepping stone for humans to improve their temporary memory (Short term memory plays an important role in shaping our ability to function in the world around us). ).

Temporary memory is repeated after a certain period of time, the brain can convert information into long term memory. Simply understand that, if Attention Span is good, the amount of information put into long-term memory will be much, which is very good for human development.

TikTok không chỉ mang đến sự giải trí, nó còn ảnh hưởng đến não bộ chúng ta theo cách bạn chưa nghĩ tới - Ảnh 5.

For example, learning to drive a car, you will have to be very focused to listen and follow the teacher’s words, the car training takes place continuously for many hours and days. The higher the concentration, the better the memory, the faster the learning to drive will end. And vice versa, poor concentration, poor memory will prolong learning time.

Due to the always-swiping nature of content, users will have to constantly absorb new forms of information, in addition, the average video length on TikTok is under 60 seconds. All of these will reduce concentration. Jessica Griffin, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts, told Very Well Health: “If you watch TikTok for long periods of time, it can cause problems with attention, attention, concentration and short-term memory”.

When the habit of watching short videos and skipping unattractive content takes place continuously, it will create laziness for users. Instead of patiently watching a content with a high information factor, users will surf to videos with a “shocking” element, which are mostly entertaining videos, do not bring much value in terms of information. trust, knowledge.

Does TikTok negatively affect children’s brains?

An article from The Wall Street Journal reported that binge-watching short video clips on TikTok is damaging children’s brains. Parents complain that their children can no longer sit through full-length movies because they find them uncomfortably slow. On the other hand, some parents complain that their children have difficulty concentrating on homework or reading.

The problem still lies in the fact that TikTok is a “perfect” app to stimulate dopamine in the brain and TikTok’s addictive ability has a negative impact on the development of young children. For children, when awareness is not fully developed, they will not know where to stop for excitement. “Short videos are similar to candy, releasing large amounts of dopamine in the pleasure centers of the brain. That rush makes children want to see more, like a child in a candy store,” added Associate Professor Jessica Griffin.

TikTok không chỉ mang đến sự giải trí, nó còn ảnh hưởng đến não bộ chúng ta theo cách bạn chưa nghĩ tới - Ảnh 6.

Exposing young children to TikTok from an early age will reduce interaction with the world around them, instead of playing games with their peers to get excited, children tend to surf TikTok for hours on end. , which leads to social-emotional retardation. Michael Manos, clinical director at Cleveland Clinic Children, told the Wall Street Journal: “If a child’s brain gets used to constant changes, it will be difficult for the brain to adapt to a non-digital activity where a non-digital activity where things don’t move that fast.”

To sum up, there is no denying that TikTok is a highly entertaining video platform, users can surf TikTok anywhere to “kill time”. But overusing TikTok and using TikTok too much will bring bad effects to the development of the body, especially the brain of young children. The above problems are not all the harm that TikTok is causing every day, so please be sober and use TikTok in the most reasonable way while maintaining social activities to protect your health. strong.

(Ref: Forbes, Very Well Health, WSJ, ..)

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Source : Genk