Over this past weekend on Saturday the 18th, the app TikTok went dark a day prior than it was believed to be banned. The ban lasted approximately 12 hours before the app was restored to American users. During that short time, many were faced with remorse over the app that they have had downloaded for many years. While the majority took a deep breath in, others let out a breath of relief. Would it really be that terrible if the app had gone away? I have been on the app since 2016 when it was called Musically, and yet I found myself apathetic towards the loss. In my article It’s Because of That Phone here on The Golden Report, I touch on technology and its cons, but that is not what I mean to do now. I am not to hold you, the reader, accountable, or give conviction, instead I wish to relate to you.
When was the last time you have picked up a book that wasn’t for class? Okay then, when was the last time you read a book that was nutritious? Oh, you don’t know where to start reading? It’s not interesting to you? Okay well how about audiobooks? No? Podcasts? Maybe watch some video essays on YouTube? I get it you’d rather watch Game of Thrones, but only after you finish Squid Games and then you’re watching Arcane. Yes, I understand. I don’t think we as a populace know how to prioritize our content knowledge. Do not get me wrong, I am at fault too. I could be reading books for AP Lit but I’m reading Hunger Games instead. Still, my point is not to say we need to do better blah blah blah, no I get you. Sure, your indecisiveness and poor attention span can be blamed on you watching Brain rot videos, but I am here to blame the enemy, media itself. There is just too much of it.
I have always said having multiple choices is just as bad as having none. There are TikToks, Instagram reels, Youtube shorts, and whatever Snapchat has. There are hundreds upon thousands of books published. There are several news outlets releasing contrasting information. Music is constantly changing and releasing. There is Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Peacock, Max, and Paramount. We are shoving information in our brains faster than we are retaining it. My freshman year I read maybe 30 books, and I cannot recall any detail from them, not because it has been so long, but because I was consuming information faster than I was taking their nutrients in and digesting it.
I do not think our human species is meant to handle this much information. It cannot be healthy to see a devastating video about an animal extinction to another on a new fashion trend and then an edit of some movie character. Just 70 years ago kids entertained themselves with hopscotch and jump rope but try to pry an iPad from a five year old now, and you will face wrath. My five year old sister thrives off of Netflix shows, Subway Surfers, and YouTube kids. She is at a level 10 all the time and has trouble with patience. I blame the screens. Overconsumption is a problem in our generation and we need to cut it back. Have your fun on TikTok or watching T.V., but limit your time on it. Give your brain a break. Live simple and cut back.