This is a tough one for me because, well, I want to say that I spend most of my screen time working on this blog, but TikTok has become a very big time suck for me. The funny thing is, I really don’t make any TikToks per se. The last few that I’ve made on the account I have for this blog have just been highlight clips of my various podcast episodes.
The Accidental Time Sink
But that’s the crazy part: I seldom make TikToks. I will watch other people’s TikToks all time, but I almost never create them myself.
Celebrities Next Door
I’m friends with someone on there who you could probably describe as a “TikTok influencer.” She posts a lot of stuff about food, makeup, and products she gets free samples of. She has over 70,000 followers, and by all accounts, she’s pretty much a regular person. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I had 70,000 followers on this blog. I asked her once how she got so many, and she just said it was a grind. She posts a lot—and she does—and people just started checking her out. We haven’t met in person, but I almost feel like she’s kind of a celebrity.
TikTok is addictive. I know there’s been a lot written about the way the algorithm is tailor-made to one’s personal interests, but it still fascinates me, maybe because I don’t know all the technical aspects behind it.
Do I feel bad about it? I know I waste an awful lot of time on that app. Yeah, I suppose it would be one thing if I were actually making content myself, but mostly what I do is comment and react to things
TikTok is a funny app. So much of the content on that platform consists of people lip-syncing to songs and dancing—two things I would never do for an audience. And usually, it’s not guys posting that kind of stuff, either.
Creator vs. Consumer
But maybe that’s part of it. Because I put so much of myself out there with my writing every single day, I subconsciously choose to be a consumer on TikTok rather than a manufacturer. I’m comfortable writing. I hate seeing myself on camera, and I hate the sound of my voice—which is deeply ironic, considering I also make a podcast spawned from this blog. I think that’s ultimately what it comes down to: for some reason, it’s just nice to sit back and be a consumer rather than a producer for a change.
Watching a “regular person” become a micro-influencer does something strange to your perspective, too. On one hand, it makes me think that kind of reach is possible for anyone. But on the other hand, growing an audience through written words feels a lot harder than capturing attention with the short, punchy video clips that drive TikTok. I’ve dropped comments on there over the years and been genuinely stunned by how much feedback a single line can pull in. It makes me wonder sometimes how I’d do traffic-wise if I actually tried to create native TikTok content.
At the same time, though, it all makes the modern social media landscape seem completely surreal.
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
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- The TikTok Paradox: A Screen Time Confession
- Burning the boats
- Comerica Park and the Architecture of Peace
- Rob Reviews: Project Hail Mary
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The article “The TikTok Paradox: A Screen Time Confession” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob
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