TikTok Gems

Before the Government Takes it All Away

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Madelyn Barnes

Despite teachers’ best efforts, students often spend their valuable educational minutes on a silly little video app.

TikTok has taken over youth lives. Hours upon hours a day, children sit on their butts watching these short videos. They ignore homework, their families and friends, fall behind in class work, and just life in general. 

Anyway, here are my two cents on the best TikTokers:

 Do you wanna get silly to the max? @maxfosh will be able to help. Comedy, posh interviews, ridiculous pranks, and challenges are his specialty. A quick video to wind down or to eat your after-school snack with, there are videos for every mood. Also, he’s British, so that’s pretty cool. Another comedian is @jaxonfairbairn and his brother Lachlan, two Aussie blokes makin’ jokes’ and short videos. Personally, I love short skits. It definitely isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea, but they can be good. Jaxon and Lachlan, are absolute gems, but @erinhattamer is another. The briefness of these parodies is what makes them so good. I have a terribly short attention span, so if I am expected to fathom something, I need it to be told to me in 10 minutes or less. That’s what is so great about these. You can briefly laugh and then move on. 

Look, learning is important. I know we can agree school sucks the majority of the time, but we do, in fact, need to know things to do things (insightful Maddy, real insightful). Learning in school for seven hours a day is miserable, so let’s use TikTok to learn. A quick 30-second video to teach you geography or about current and political news that you’ve been avoiding. @camelnews21 interviews people from all around the world. Guessing languages, countries, and more, he talks about geography in a fun and engaging way. Learning about new cultures can be difficult when you’re in a school with a whole lotta white teachers that have very little knowledge of other cultures. But TikTok has a huge variety of people from so many different demographics, allowing you to learn from other people’s perspectives. @mattiastable teaches about sauces from around the world. Although it doesn’t seem all that important, it can lessen ignorance and teach people a little bit about the world in a fun way.

Do you like motor vehicles? Cars? Motorcycles? Vespas? Scooters? Cool. You’ll like @fastlaneunite. Incredible photos of older-and current- Formula 1 cars, Lotus’, Porches, and more, perfect for a background photo, or just to look at, and they are cropped! Another person is @skippers_new_life. He, like many others, rides motorcycles- safely- around town, and it’s absolutely sexy. It also teaches road safety, letting new and old drivers know that hitting motorcyclists is not good- it’s bad and illegal. Hopefully, understanding that even motorcyclists have feelings will prevent some prejudices against them.

The whole point of TikTok is to scroll endlessly, watching enjoyable videos. Some of the TikTokers that have been ruling the FYP are @chef_boi_hardy – a middle-aged-looking fella who dances quite beautifully. Another is @krab_videos, a sort of funny group that animates horribly and jokes about relatable issues. Are you single and want to make that everyone’s problem? @freejadenbruh is yet another silly TikToker who will really appeal to you. He makes killer jokes and makes fun of the couples that we can all agree are just a bit too much- I know we all see them in the hallways, yuck. To finish off the list strong, @herodw does parkour challenges with his friends that are just genuinely fun to watch. His entire page is positive and a great break from all the drama that is everywhere nowadays.

TikTok is an incredibly popular app that has truly defined many lives today. These 30-second videos are – I would assume – as addictive as drugs. 30 seconds, a quick high, and a boost of serotonin are what convince people to stay on TikTok for long periods of time. However, it is also a way for folks to connect with their peers and learn about other people, cultures, experiences, and much more, so overall I would say TikTok is actually good.