{"id":18058,"date":"2022-03-02T13:31:08","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/02\/tiktok-is-the-new-channel-surfing\/"},"modified":"2022-03-02T13:31:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:31:08","slug":"tiktok-is-the-new-channel-surfing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/02\/tiktok-is-the-new-channel-surfing\/","title":{"rendered":"TikTok Is the New Channel Surfing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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VasiliyBudarin\/Shutterstock.com (edited)<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you grew up before streaming services, you\u2019re probably familiar with channel surfing. Just aimlessly flipping through channels looking for something good to watch. There\u2019s a certain pleasure that comes from this, and TikTok<\/a> is the modern-day equivalent.<\/p>\n

TikTok is still a relatively new social network<\/a> and there are a lot of people who don\u2019t understand it. Maybe you think it\u2019s just a rip-off of Vine<\/a> (RIP) or the latest place where kids do stupid things for attention. There\u2019s much more to TikTok than that<\/a>, and it\u2019s probably a more familiar experience than you realize.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Why Is TikTok So Popular? Why the Social Network Is Unique<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Channel Surfing Is FOMO<\/h2>\n

Channel surfing wasn\u2019t really a thing until cable TV came around. Before that, there simply weren\u2019t many channels to flip through. Suddenly, cable TV gave us what seemed like an infinite number of things to watch.<\/p>\n

To some people, all of those choices can feel very daunting.\u00a0They want to see all the options before committing. What if you\u2019re missing something good on a different channel? It\u2019s essentially a form of FOMO\u2014Fear of Missing Out.<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where channel surfing comes in. You flip through channel after channel, watching a few minutes here and there, never settling on one channel. It\u2019s a way to get a little taste of everything, small dopamine hits one after another.<\/p>\n

Of course, even the biggest cable TV channel packages aren\u2019t endless. If you surf long enough, you\u2019ll eventually get to the end. That\u2019s where TikTok takes it to the next level.<\/p>\n

Flipping = Swiping<\/h2>\n

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If you\u2019ve never used TikTok, the functionality is very reminiscent of flipping through TV channels<\/a>. You navigate by swiping up and down through a feed of videos. So you get into a loop of watching a video for a few seconds, swipe to the next one, and repeat. Over and over.<\/p>\n

If a video isn\u2019t immediately engaging, you can simply swipe up to instantly have something new to watch. It\u2019s exactly the same as channel surfing. Not interested in the first couple of minutes of that sitcom? On to the next channel.<\/p>\n

These mechanisms allow you to have a constant feed \u201cnew\u201d hitting your brain without committing to one thing.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Why Do Streaming TV Services Keep Getting More Expensive?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Truly Endless Entertainment<\/h2>\n

TikTok is everything you love about channel surfing, but with a few major differences. Unlike cable, there actually is (functionally) an infinite number of things to watch on TikTok. You will never reach the end.<\/p>\n

The second major difference is TikTok figures out what you like. Not only are there endless channels to surf through, but the channels are tailored specifically to you. TikTok is very good at this, eerily so. Use it for a couple of days and it will quickly figure out what you like.<\/p>\n

These two differences are what fuel the addictive nature of TikTok. It figures out what you like, then serves you an endless supply of it. Once you start scrolling through the feed it\u2019s hard to get out of the rabbit hole.<\/p>\n

Wait, Don\u2019t Leave!<\/h2>\n

\"TikTok<\/p>\n

The last difference between TikTok and channel surfing might be the biggest. When you\u2019re done channel surfing\u2014let\u2019s say you didn\u2019t find anything to keep your attention\u2014you can simply turn off your TV. That\u2019s it, you\u2019re out.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not how TikTok works. Sure, you can go straight to the home screen to exit the app, but TikTok on Android has a nasty little trick. If you attempt to leave the app by going back<\/em>, TikTok will serve up a new video and ask you to tap back again to confirm you want to leave.<\/p>\n

This does two things. First, it doesn\u2019t exit the app as you intended. It\u2019s purposefully keeping you in the app and making you do another action to leave. Second, it\u2019s showing you something new to attempt to keep you drawn in.<\/p>\n

Both channel surfing and swiping through TikTok are different forms of the same thing\u2014mindless scrolling<\/a>. There are certainly times for mindless entertainment, but don\u2019t let it take over your life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Nothing Beneficial Comes From Mindless Scrolling<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n