Deleting TikTok
By the time this post is published, I would have been “unplugged” for a little over a month. This means all of my social media apps, which include Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and more, have been deleted and inaccessible.
Initially, I did this because I had seen one of my close friends do it, and I thought it sounded nice to be away from social media to have less screen time. What I didn’t know, however, was the psychological benefits that came with it.
I’m talking about delayed gratification. Everyone probably knows about delayed gratification and the “marshmallow test.” But, if you’re hearing this for the first time, I will briefly explain it.
Kids were sat in front of a single marshmallow and were told that if they waited for 15 minutes, they would receive another treat. It was later found that “the longer kids were able to hold off on eating a marshmallow, the more likely they were to have higher SAT scores and fewer behavioral problems,” (Resnick 2018).
What does this have to do with social media?
The opposite, or failure, of the “marshmallow test” displays instant gratification. Instant gratification is what’s seen in social media. I specifically want to point out Tik Tok, for I think this app displays the most instant gratification of all apps.
Tik Tok is an app that allows the user to view short videos, 1–60s, with the swipe of a finger. These videos are tailored to them from an algorithm that takes view history, likes, etc., and puts similar videos onto a “For You” page. When someone is swiping through Tik Tok, and within 5 seconds of a video they are not interested, they swipe away. Sometimes, and I know a lot of people do, they swipe within 1 second. This is a display of instant gratification. That “instant” the video starts, the viewer wants to see something interesting, or be hooked into. It’s rare that viewers watch through a video if there isn’t something to catch their eye.
Deleting Tik Tok has made the most significance in my “social media hiatus.” During study sessions, it’s especially bad to go from an app like Tik Tok and then back to studying. This is because when you’re on Tik Tok, your mind is put into instant gratification mode. When you leave the app and go work on something like studying or exercising, your mind is still in instant gratification mode.
It is important to say, however, that withdrawing oneself from instant gratification does not mean complete success. The same “marshmallow test” was conducted decades later, with a more diverse group of kids, and it was found that delayed gratification “is not a unique lever to pull to positively influence other aspects of a person’s life. It’s a consequence of bigger-picture, harder-to-change components of a person, like their intelligence and environment they live in,” (Resnick 2018).
Still, I think it’s important to keep in mind one’s routine with social media. These “marshmallow tests” are on children, and I bet now all adults could resist a marshmallow for 15 minutes. The gist of this story is: try not to spend too much time on social media. It can distract you from long-term goals.
WORKS CITED:
Resnick, Brian. “The ‘Marshmallow Test’ Said Patience Was a Key to Success. A New Replication Tells Us S’more.” Vox, Vox, 6 June 2018, www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/6/17413000/marshmallow-test-replication-mischel-psychology.
