There’s always been talk of it disappearing, but nobody really thought it was true. Then, it all went dark on Jan. 18. Groupchats blew up and stories contained only screenshots of this message, “Sorry, Tiktok isn’t available right now.”
While the app only stayed dark for 14 hours, people scrambled to find the next substitution. So, where did everyone go? Well, four million people flocked to a new Chinese-owned app: Rednote.
The app skyrocketed in popularity, with over 500,000 downloads over the week of Jan. 19, according to The Guardian. One of those users is Sophia Sheng ’27, a “TikTok Refugee” on RedNote.
“Everyone on Tiktok was recommending moving to RedNote,” Sheng said. “I assumed most of the things I’ve been watching on TikTok would be there too.”
Following the resurrection of TikTok, many users were unable to regain their accounts due to deleting the app. After almost a month of being removed from all app stores across the U.S., Tiktok is now available to download as of Feb.13.
But, why was everybody scrambling for a new app? For users, these apps are beneficial for that feeling of adrenaline from scrolling. While scrolling, a study from Brown University shows that Tiktok induces a flow-like state for users that is characterized by a high degree of focus and productivity. The “flow” state provides a sense of distorted time passing for users. This idea is also backed by a study by SunCloudHealth, where the algorithm will slowly start to feed you more content that makes you even more likely to “doom-scroll” due to the pleasure you feel from seeing things that excite or inspire you.
In health classes, students are all taught that social media can be a dangerous place, even if nobody ever really believes it. But this ban showed the true colors of what social media can do to users, especially teens. Ever wonder why every time you sit down to relax you open TikTok or a similar social media app? That false rush of dopamine starts to become an addiction, with your brain craving the rush of dopamine provided by the short videos.
“I didn’t spend a lot of time on Rednote, but as soon as I liked a video relating to something it began to show up a lot in my feed,” Sheng said.
As the hours during the ban passed, people found it near unbearable to adapt to regular usage of replacements like Instagram reels, Youtube Shorts or Rednote. For a large population, TikTok became a feature not just for entertainment, but a lifeline. The popular app became many people’s alternative to Google, Netflix and Youtube. The ban highlighted the true depth of people’s reliance on the app.
“Tiktok serves as an entertainment app for me mostly,” Sheng said. “But sometimes if I need help with things I’ll just look it up on Tiktok instead of Google.”
