Would You Rather Go on TikTok or Watch The Irishman 2.5 Times?
Kesha meant it when she said, "TikTok on the clock"
We’ve chitted and we’ve chatted about social media throughout the years here at E4P but I’ve always wanted to take the conversation to the streets, really go full Billy Eichner and demand people tell me their average screen time for a dollar. Ét viola, I give you today’s panel.
Allegedly, “there are currently over 2.35 billion monthly active Instagram users…[and] 47.84% of the world’s 4.18 billion smartphone users access Instagram every month” (x). Additionally, the global data platform Statista reported that in the United States, the average user spends 9.5 hours on TikTok per week. Let me put it this way: in 9.5 hours, you could run two marathons at the average rate of four hours and thirty minutes and then tack and extra three miles onto the end; you could drive from Manhattan to Quebec City and still have two hours to walk around; or you could watch The Irishman two and a half times and MAYBE start to understand why dads across America flipped their shit over it.1
But perhaps the amount of time the royal we spends on these apps can be justified by the fact that the information and connections they offer us are now essential to our daily lives: a number of today’s respondents noted they use social media to stay in the know on both a global and an interpersonal level, fearing they’ll lose touch with cultural developments or people they don’t get to regularly see in person. It is a way to be in the world without being across the world like Taylor Swift on her private jet.
Social media is a weird beast and I feel as though this panel—as fun as it was to make and assemble with all of the fab responses—only barely qualifies as A Conversation About Social Media. There are so many other questions I could have asked—Would you rank social media among the best or worst things to ever be invited? Is social media even social anymore? Fuck, marry, kill: Instagram, TikTok, Twitter?—and maybe one day I will.
Until then, I’m so pleased with today’s panel and am so thankful to everyone who was candid about their social media habits and screentimes…because they all were honest…right?
Why did you answer as you did above?2
CH, 24, he/him, TikTok: It is the form of social media I spend the most time mindlessly scrolling on. I also use it the most to "find things to do."
Melanie, 29, she/her, Instagram: It’s just a harrowing fact.
Sean, 25, he/him, Instagram: Opening Instagram is just an anxious impulse of boredom at this point.
Sarah, 26, she/her, Instagram: I definitely open the IG app the most and can end up spending a lot of time going down a rabbit hole based on someone’s story or my Explore Page. I see the most amount of content there in the shortest amount of time.
EE, 25, she/her, Instagram: It's a close race but Instagram is usually my default app.
Lauren, 25, she/her, Twitter: I feel like it’s the most funny and least personal. I don’t get FOMO and don’t see everyone doing super fun stuff that I wish I had time and money for right now. There’s a mix of interesting conversation and just stupid memes on Twitter which I really like.
Laura, 26, she/her, Instagram: It stopped being Tumblr in probably 2014 or so. It used to be Twitter because I actually used it interactively but just lost interest. I’m just on Instagram to see what’s up with like eight people who I don’t talk to regularly but still like to see their lives.
Blair, 25, she/her, Instagram: My screen time and the sheer amount of times I open and shut the app 🙈
Madeline, 24, she/her, Instagram: I will scroll mindlessly for hours, close the app, and reopen Instagram. I don’t have other social media like TikTok, Twitter, etc.
Liz, 25, she/her, Instagram: The amount of time I spend on it, the amount I engage with other people, and the frequency with which I post.
What do you get out of this particular social media app that you don't find you get from the others listed?
CH: I think the type of content is much more engaging, and sometimes I learn interesting things, believe it or not!
Melanie: Something about an Instagram story, to be honest.
Sean: Memes catered to me.
Sarah: It’s easiest to see posts from both people I know in real life and celebrity/influencer types. Plus, I like being able to see who my mutuals follow.
EE: A variety of content.
Lauren: It’s more mindless.
Laura: I’m only seeing people I know or accounts I’ve chosen to follow. I don’t use the videos feature for the same reason I don’t use TikTok.
Blair: People are constantly posting so there is something new to see.
Madeline: I feel like more of my friends are actually actively posting things rather than watching viral videos or reading posts without interacting.
Liz: Most of my friends are active on Instagram, so it often acts as an extension of our friendship. A place to share memes or our common interests with each other. I also like that Instagram makes me feel comfortable engaging with people who I might not know as well or see very often in my daily life.
Like if I meet a new friend, it feels easier to swipe up on their story than to send them a text asking a random question. Plus, nowadays people tend to exchange Instagrams before phone numbers. Instagram for me is the easiest way to keep up with a large number of people—what Facebook used to be, but the photos are higher quality and the memes are funnier.
If you don't use social media apps, what led you to give them up?
[No one replied to this question]
If you've never deleted your social media apps, do you think you would be able to? Why or why not?
CH: Nope. It's how I keep in contact with people!
Sean: Yes, I am strong I think.
Sarah: No; it’s an easy way to receive communication from most people I know and brands I care about.
Lauren: Probably not. I get too much joy out of them right now. Lol.
Laura: I would have no issue as long as someone else was posting on my work Instagram/Facebook. And I’d like to still be able to google search things and add “Reddit” to the end of the search
Liz: I think about doing it often, but I don't see myself doing it anytime soon. It makes me anxious, like FOMO, or like if I delete everything I'll be risking my relevance to other people. So in the meantime, I've decided that simply removing the app icons from my Home Screen will help me spend less time on them.
Dig deep: what do you think you seek out on social media apps in general?
CH: It depends on the app or platform. If I am going to be honest, I POST on certain platforms to portray and update on, what I think, is a cool life. For others, it’s purely entertainment when I don't feel like doing something else.
Melanie: 50% just escaping reality, 50% looking for inspiration for various things.
Sean: Information.
Sarah: Distraction mostly and then looking for information.
EE: Chronic boredom, habit, nosiness, wanting to see the "other side" of life.
Lauren: I do like to keep up with my friends and loved ones…but mostly I do it as a distraction and for the dopamine hit, for sure. When I’m having a hard time, reading funny tweets, scrolling through IG, or watching dumb TikToks can be a really nice way to decompress and remember that life is funny and can be lighthearted. But the pendulum does swing too far for me sometimes in the sense that I will stay on it for way too long. I think it has a purpose for me but it’s tricky finding the balance sometimes.
Laura: To feel like I’m still a part of people's lives even though I’m in bed by 9. Probably to confirm my irrational belief that everyone is doing better than me.
Blair: I think it's a lot of things. One is an obsession with just knowing what's going on in other people's lives. We are so interconnected. You think about how people need a minute-by-minute update when they are meeting friends.
Another part is comparison—I look to see how I should be feeling about my life based on where other people are in their lives. I also think it's a little bit of voyeurism too. Social media allows you to peek through people's windows and see what's going on in their lives.
Madeline: Validation.
Liz: It's multi-layered. I seek connections with people, and the ability to easily keep up with friends who I don't often see. I seek inspiration (art accounts, food bloggers, local guides, etc.), and I like to escape from daily stresses through funny content or cute animal photos. But at the same time, a little unconsciously, I, like most people, probably seek validation from some of my social media apps. I want to be relevant and interesting. I find myself stalking other people's accounts and doing deep dives, I find myself falling into the comparison mindset. It can be hard to separate the positive and the negative.
Why did you answer as you did above?
CH: I think there are times when I find myself thinking, "Wow I wish I was invited to that," or " I'm not going to post this thing I think is cool because would others think the same thing?" but I also use those thoughts or new information I've learned to better myself. It's gotten me to try new things I wouldn’t have normally. There's been a lot of learning and unlearning! But I don't think it's ever affected me overall in a negative way.
Melanie: I guess I’m just very secure with myself and I don’t really let myself get too engulfed in it all.
Sean: I’ve wasted too much time comparing myself to people that I follow.
Sarah: I’ve gotten to a point where I only follow people who inspire me/whose content I enjoy. If I find myself feeling bad while seeing someone’s posts, I’ll unfollow.
EE: Causes me to constantly compare and I don't usually come out on top.
Lauren: I don’t really feel like it’s harming me, to be honest.
Laura: Girl, please I’ll save that for therapy.
Blair: I know it feeds into my anxiety and leads to negative thoughts, BUT it is almost a necessity to be a social person. So many references and so much culture happens on social media that if I wasn't on it, it would negatively impact my social life.
Madeline: I spend way too much unproductive time on them. I often find myself making a plan before bed including a full skincare routine, a shower, reading, maybe meal prepping or journaling or something to better prepare myself for tomorrow. I may do one of those things and then give myself a little treat by looking at social media. Then an hour later, I’m too exhausted to do anything else and I’m ready to fall asleep, left feeling wildly unproductive and discontent.
Liz: I notice the more I use social media, the more anxiety I feel. I tend to start comparing myself to others, worrying about my own posts' performance, feeling insecure and FOMO, etc.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
CH: I have such a love-hate relationship with social media, but overall I think its effects are ultimately more positive now than negative, in my opinion.
Melanie: Life is rough—put on a helmet and some lip gloss.
Sean: I call TikTok TikToxic.
Sarah: I think social media is what you make it!! You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do!! You’re in control of what you absorb!
EE: This helped me realize I should probably delete some apps.
Laura: Reddit is cool for plant facts and advice.
Madeline: I used to have TikTok and deleted it while I was studying for a certification exam. The studying took about six weeks and I was so productive. At first, I would find myself opening my phone and scrolling to where the app used to be and almost laughing at myself when I remembered that I had deleted it. Now, I don’t even think about that app. However, I have slightly replaced that with Instagram Reels. I find the Reels to be a little less funny and addictive but I do still waste far too much time on them.
Liz: You didn't ask this but I'm telling you anyway: my favorite social media app by far is Goodreads. It's just wholesome content only, a safe haven for book lovers, and the UX design is awful which I find endearing. And it inspires me to get off my phone and pick up a book because it feels so rewarding getting to add books to your list!
What is the best social media bio or caption you've ever used?
CH: "Not a lot going on at the moment"
Melanie: Ugh I’d have to go into my MySpace archives circa 2007-2010
Sean: Phoebe Buffay? More like Phoebe BuSLAY
Sarah: 80% Mary Kate 20% Ashley
EE: It's the Catalina wine mixer
Laura: “Wait what”
Blair: My old Instagram handle was @blairforceone and I feel like that was solid
Madeline: Smoother than a fresh jar of skippy (sorry I know that’s like plagiarism ah)
Liz: I love my IG handle @lizantine_empire because not only does it make me chuckle, but it’s also a good test—the girls who get it, get it. And it’s funny when I meet a non-English speaker and I have to explain the pun (because, by explaining it, it's so not funny at all). Plus, occasionally, people will call me by my handle and I think that's kind of cute.
The only movies with a 209 minute run time I would willingly watch are the ultra-extended cut of Barbie or the super-ultra-extended cut of the 2005 adaption of Pride and Prejudice. End of list.
There was a respondent who responded “TikTok” for the first question but provided negligible other answers so they’re included in the polls but not the response sections.