Hello and welcome back to Whatever Is Noble. This is a longer post than usual as I’ve been wrestling for a few months with the policy ramifications of a TikTok ban as well as considering practical advice for consuming and creating online. There are no “new” ideas here — but I hope these thoughts are as helpful to you as they were to me. Thanks for reading.
We’re underestimating TikTok
First, it’s more popular than sugar. TikTok is the most downloaded and most used app, ever. Two-thirds of American teens are on TikTok. One in six say they are using the app “almost constantly.”
But the popularity alone doesn’t concern me.
TikTok accumulates and shares user data with its parent company, ByteDance, which is headquartered in Beijing.1 Lawmakers in the United States have already started laying the groundwork to ban TikTok because of the threat of personal data in the hands of foreign actors.
We already know that Facebook once manipulated 689,003 users' emotions “for science,” so why wouldn’t TikTok be doing the same? We don’t truly do not know what TikTok does with the personal data they collect nor do we know what their algorithm is trained to spin out since those matters are kept secret. Christian tech writer Chris Martin recently considered some possibilities of what China might be up to and concluded a ban is justified.
It’s not unprecedented for a government to exert control over technology companies to squeal dissenting opinions. My own government locked the bank accounts of more than 200 citizens for donating to a protest in the streets of Ottawa last year. You may say the protest caused civil unrest (most protests do) and, yes, I’m with you that lawbreakers should have been arrested, and a few dozen were,2 but no evidence tied the 200+ individuals directly to “acts of terrorism.” And in principle, can’t we agree that the government shouldn’t have access to your virtual wallet? I feel the same way about social media algorithms.
So yes, I am concerned about the power China has through TikTok. But it’s still not my chief concern.
I am more concerned about the underlying addictive and anxiety-producing patterns of the latest AI algorithms represented by, but not restricted to, TikTok.
When Mr. Miyagi instructs Daniel to wash his car with a “wax on, wax off” motion, Daniel develops the muscle memory he needs to guard against future attacks. TikTok does the opposite, weakening our defenses with immediate gratification, impatience, and distraction which have a correlated rise in depression, anxiety, stress, and memory loss. Some have noted the rise of “tic-like behaviors” coinciding with an increase in TikTok content related to Tourette’s syndrome.
Other users are telling their doctors, “I have ADHD because of TikTok,” since the app normalizes hyperactivity as you speed from one video to another, getting “hits” of laughter or intrigue or disgust, like a cacophony of drugs.
Another Substacker put it this way:
There’s a substantial body of research showing a strong association between smartphone addiction, shrinkage of the brain’s gray matter, and “digital dementia,” an umbrella term for the onset of anxiety and depression and the deterioration of memory, attention span, self-esteem, and impulse control (the last of which increases the addiction).
This is not restricted to one app. I’m concerned about the values underlying TikTok, their dominance over the human psyche, and the future of the internet.
TikTok represents how the social internet has evolved toward immersion, addiction, and passivity and there’s no end in sight. We need to respond. We need more than a ban.
In what follows, I unpack what the values are, why they concern me, and what Jesus might have for us to do in response.
Photo credit: Collabstr on Unsplash
The Values Of TikTok
TikTok represents the evolution of social media across three trends (first articulated by Ben Thompson), each with inherent values.
First, in regards to the delivery method or medium, TikTok prioritizes the most attention-absorbing media type that is accessible to most users most of the time: short-form vertical video. It’s less a social newspaper as Facebook once was and more a frenetic “social television.” If you’re a social media company and want to make the most ad revenue possible, why give any option other than watching a video in the entire display on a device people have with them 24/7? The average user spends 95 minutes per day on TikTok. Immersive.
Mark Zuckerberg bet big on Virtual Reality (VR) and Ben Thompson thinks this could be part of the future. For now, the Metaverse captures attention without creating many addicts. Zuckerberg may have underestimated how silly people feel wearing VR headsets and how comfortable they are holding a screen while sitting on the toilet (93% of us, apparently).
The second trend represented by TikTok is autoplay. They don’t want you to stop and ask, “should I watch one more?” The videos keep coming, are easy to swipe away to the next (soothing the user’s illusion of control), and are (mostly) less than sixty seconds long. Immersive and addictive.
Third, TikTok curates its content via an advanced form of Artificial Intelligence. Users report a “numbness” or “TikTok brain” after using the app, stemming from the passivity enabled by an eerily personalized video feed. There’s no need to manually select what you like — you can — but TikTok is fundamentally built on delivering to you what it thinks you’ll want, not what you say you want. That’s a big difference. It’s the difference between creating a meal plan at the beginning of the week or having a bowl of your favorite greasy food right in front of your hungry face. TikTok analyzes every bit of data, from swipes to likes to pauses to friends’ activities, to keep you eating their feed yet leaving you hungry for more.
The three trends that made TikTok popular — short-form vertical video, autoplay, and artificial intelligence curation — are all being copied. And this leaves users across their apps building muscle memory for immersion, addiction, and passivity.
YouTube has “Shorts.” Instagram and Facebook have “Reels.” Reddit has a vertical video feed to swipe through. Even Twitter has autoplay & swipe-able video. One of the most lucrative content creators in the world, Mr. Beast, recently said we are in a golden age of content creation since every platform offers TikTok-esque sub-one-minute vertical video.
And it’s not just social media — whether it’s CNN, ESPN, or a food blog, websites are leveraging autoplay, or have “eternal” webpages, to keep you hooked and scrolling forever.
If you’ve felt like the internet used to be better than it is now, you’re right, it was. When the next thing you watch is recommended to you based on the mere lingering of your eyeballs on a video it makes things worse because the algorithm doesn’t consider the best version of yourself who choose to watch.
Scientists have learned how the human brain functions on two different systems, as defined in Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow. System 1 thinking is a near-instantaneous process — it’s quick, easy, and intuitive but far more prone to bias and error. System 2 thinking is logical and reflective, and while it’s slower, it can reduce bias and ensure the right decision is made.
The problem with the way TikTok and others are using Artificial Intelligence is that they are training AI on System 1 decisions — thumb swipes instead of prayerful consideration. And while we could each put in the work to train our algorithms with more reflective System 2 thinking — we don’t — because we often go to these apps to escape the anxieties of our thinking-heavy modern life. We swipe away reflection and contemplation in favor of scrolling for instantaneous gratification.
If you’re on the internet then you are likely experiencing the values of TikTok, the immersion and addiction fueled by AI, and feeling the consequences.
What should leaders do?
The future of the Internet will be determined by the choices of users and the will of institutional leaders.
If I was in the government, I’d be less likely to outright ban TikTok, since it’d just start a Whac-a-mole game with new apps. I’d rather put in place restrictions like those China has already — limiting teenagers to 40 minutes per day with the app only available between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Though I’d go more aggressive with restrictions, especially for youth.
If I was a school board leader, I would propose a phone-free school policy. If a child has an emergency they can go to a teacher.
If I were a church leader, I would get a copy of Chris Martin’s The Wolf in their Pockets and discuss it with my fellow leaders and implement some of the recommendations.
If I were a parent of teenagers, I’d talk with my children about how social media companies make money, how algorithms work, Jesus’ sermon on the mount, FOMO, and C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory. Many in Gen Z already think of social media in a similar way as I thought about cigarettes as a kid — a way to make more friends and be a little cooler but also damaging to your health and negatively impacting your future. I’ll likely keep my kids at Level 0 in my "Levels of Access and Oversight" until they reach 15.
But that’s just for leaders. What about the rest of us? What about users?
What should users do?
There’s no Bible verse saying TikTok is sinful, and as long we aren’t gossiping, lusting, envying, becoming sinfully angry, or otherwise tempted toward sin, then it is still possible to use the apps in a godly manner. And yet…
We must take Jesus’ sermon on the mount seriously. TGC Canada’s Wyatt Graham has recently connected, “if your arm causes you to sin, cut it off,” with social media and there are other aspects of Jesus’ sermon that are readily applicable.
Jesus says:
Pray in your room with the door closed.
Give money away in secret.
Clean your face when you are fasting so that people don’t know you’re fasting.
Jesus gives these very specific behavioral commands because we need to practice consistent virtuous habits in order to orient our hearts toward what matters. We pray by ourselves, give money away secretly, and fast without extrinsic rewards so that we might practice godliness with authenticity and for the right reasons.
An untamed diet of social media built on your own System 1 thinking will inevitably lead to self-centered Phariseeism. It trains your brain toward the kind of external validation Jesus warns against. Just as it’s not wrong to pray in front of others unless you first have a pattern of personal prayer, it’s not wrong to scroll social media unless you first have a habit of embodied love of neighbour, selfless compassion, and an affection for the things of God.
With biblical discernment, prayer, and System 2 thinking, some will avoid social media use while others should accurate it.3 My plea to you is this: recognize the underlying values of immersion, addiction, and distraction — all revolving around yourself — and begin to implement a strategy for wisdom.
Here are four final virtues to consider that swim against today’s rising TikTok-tide; against trivial app absorption, against addiction, and against an AI-run life.
Practice Contentment Despite Immersive Distraction
The opposite of immersion in triviality is contented living in truth. Paul said he learned to be content in both plenty and lack (Phil. 4:11-13). Some of us lack energy, while others have plenty of time, but too many practice sloth instead of stillness and pursue distractions instead of discipline. We need to learn what it means to practice contentment in boredom, allowing for forms of recreation that recharge and pursuing truth that fuels.
Are we willing to give up our apps if God asks us to? Are we content without them? Just as God called some people in Scripture to abstain from alcohol, perhaps because it can restrict some individuals from pursuing God’s glory in full, so too God may ask you to delete some apps or block some websites.
Practice Self-Control Despite The Addictions of Autoplay
Imagine if every minute we spent on the internet was intentional, leveraging our God-given brain on System 2 thinking. What would change? What if Christians put more effort into creating than in consuming? What if every time we wanted to numb our senses with yet another vertical video we took a second to ask ourselves what our goal is first?
Self-control was the one thing Paul told older men to teach younger men (Titus 2:6). Don’t throw up your hands in resignation due to the strength of technology. For God gave us a spirit “not of fear but of power and love and self-control,” (1 Tim. 1:17).
Practice Responsibility For Our Use Of Artificial Intelligence
We need to open our eyes to the ways the values of the world are seeping into our pockets and then into our souls. You may think TikTok users are naive but have you examined your own use of technology? Some people complain about how others are always on their phones instead of talking in person and yet park their car in a garage, never seeing the irony of how their metal box on wheels hinders interaction with a neighbor.
God has created us with a responsibility to “fill the earth and subdue it.” That includes the brittle crystalline solid known as silicon which is placed into the computer frame running those A.I. algorithms. Complaining isn’t just ineffective, if done to excuse your own poor decisions, it’s unchristian.
Pray
People have good reason to avoid TikTok. It’s not just dances that go viral; there are “blackout challenges” and other dangerous trends. But we don’t need fear, we need prayer.
Pray for wisdom. We must, as Proverbs 2:3 says, “call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,” for the Lord gives wisdom.
“Big Tech” is not a bogeyman. There are countless Christians working at these companies, arguing over policies and writing code to the glory of God. They have a hard job to do. They too often hear the ridicule of naive church leaders. They should instead hear our prayers.
Some of the worst aspects of TikTok-ification could be lessened by Christians on the inside. I pray for that.
But I also pray for each of us, that God might help us practice the virtues of contentment, self-control, and responsibility even when there is no instantaneous or external reward.
“Watch your life,” and, “examine yourself,” says Paul (1 Tim. 4:6, 2 Cor. 13:5). Use tech well; don’t let it use you.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew revealed that ByteDance still has access to some TikTok data in his statements before the US Congress on March 23, 2023.
Trish Ferguson, acting Deputy Officer, reported the charges made over the course of the protest from Jan. 29 and March 12. The summary is as follows: police laid 12 charges of assaulting a police officer, six charges of assault, five charges of possessing a weapon, three charges of assault or intimidation with a weapon, two charges of carrying a concealed weapon, one charge of possessing a restricted firearm and four charges of uttering threats of death or bodily harm.
Therefore, it is not correct to call the protest fully “peaceful,” but given that 5,000 to 18,000 participated, most of the protestors were peaceful. In any protest, we should not assume that the few who disobey the law represent the many who do.
Remember also, up to 16,000 Truck Drivers lost their job due to th 2022 vaccination mandate, which was one of the primary reasons for the protest in the first place. In this context, while it’s fair for the government to maintain civil order, there should have also been more recognition of multiculturalism in ideology and a recognition of the freedom of conscience for some to disagree without fear of losing access to their bank accounts.
The Liberal government was so power-hungry that even an MP of the Green Party (often further left than Trudeau’s Liberals) spoke out against them.
Ministry leaders should consider investing more in video content creation. As Andy Crouch says in Culture Making, we mustn’t only have a posture of critique and condemnation, but should also cultivate and create culture in line with Gen. 1:26-28. Austin Gravley has some helpful ideas on how we can do this with video, too.
Great thoughts with increased encouragement to think wisely in everything we do. This article articulates for us a caution to observe and watch how our attention can, and is being eaten up without us even knowing, yet the results of non-stop input are long lasting as it steals our wonder and joy. Limits and boundaries are necessary as we reflect on the fact that there is a time and purpose for everything under heaven. Balance is not only necessary but critical for the life Jesus desires us to live.
Thank you Andrew for your words that help us to grasp caution rather than throwing it to the wind.