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TikTok Challenges: The Psychology of Their Appeal
TikTok is the current app parents love to hate. A mobile app that allows users to create and share short videos, it was the most downloaded app of 2020. TikTok challenges continue to fill the news alongside reports of the big bucks that young TikTok stars are pulling down from endorsement deals — both of which terrify parents.
As the name suggests, a TikTok challenge asks or “challenges” the viewer to take some action and record it for sharing on TikTok. Challenges are found using hashtag searches and typically start from trending TikTok videos based on songs, dance moves, movie quotes, or documenting some activity. A successful challenge inspires a lot of people to make the same type of video. Most are benign; some are dangerous or downright offensive.
You may wonder why making a copy-cat version of another TikTok video — good or bad — is so popular. The app has some distinguishing features that enhance its appeal: a low barrier to entry, artistic control, the illusion of fame, and being part of something new and cool. Joining a trending TikTok challenge means that you don’t even have to think up original content ideas; you can just add your version of the latest dance, lip-sync or prank and ride the trend. These factors make TikTok the ideal app for anyone with spare time and a creative bent who enjoys performing in public, loves to share, is easily amused, and likes a lot of changing stimulus. It’s no wonder that over half the users in the US are under 35. However, for those who crave social validation and lack the critical thinking skills or developmental maturity to judge risk, TikTok and TikTok challenges can be a less positive and sometimes dangerous experience.
Despite all the warnings about the dreaded “screen time,” the psychological impact of social media isn’t as much a factor of time or how much you use social media as it is what you’re doing on social media — how you use it. Active engagement is crucial, meaning that posting, sharing, commenting, and interacting are more positive than passive observation.
The door’s wide open on TikTok. Pretty much anyone can play. (They say you have…
