The Business Model of TikTok & Twitter We Should All Be Concerned About
Disclaimer: Although this article is strongly based on research, be mindful that this is my opinion.
Photo credit: Put me back together by John Roedel
I assume you know what these two forms of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, are. However, this is what they mean to me -
TikTok
TikTok is a form of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform. The interphase is built to enable users to host various short-form user videos from genres like pranks, stunts, tricks, jokes, dance, and entertainment, with durations of up to 15 seconds.
On the other hand, Twitter is a microblogging and social networking service where users post and interact with messages known as “tweets”. These Tweets were initially restricted to just 140 characters, but as of November 2017, the limit was doubled to 280 characters. However, audio and video tweets remain limited to just 140 seconds.
So what is the issue…
A case of fragmented attention and ADHA
Read this — A neuroscientist Dr Daniel Levitin discovered that the human brain does not have the capacity to multitask. But in fact, what we actually do is — Every time we shift our attention from one thing to another, the brain has to engage a neurochemical switch that uses up nutrients in the brain to accomplish that. And this act depletes our neural resources.
Another interesting finding by Manoush Zomorodi informs that a decade ago, we shifted our attention at work every three minutes. Now we do it every 45 seconds, and we do it all day long.
Her findings further state that the average person in a first-world country, according to her research, checks email 74 times a day and switches tasks on their computer 566 times a day.
The link between the business model of VoIPs like TikTok and Twitter is their effects and unidirectional relationship with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because we are forced to develop a fragmented attention span.
This affects people’s behaviour, causes them to seem restless, and may have trouble concentrating or may often act on impulse — according to United Kingdom’s National Health Service.
Another piece of information from Manoush Zomorodi further provides that researchers at USC on the interactions between humans and devices have found — most studying teenagers (in their clinical study) who are on social media while they’re talking to their friends or doing homework, two years down the road, are less creative and imaginative about their own personal futures and about solving societal problems.
‘Things never happen one-sided. It always has both ends’ — Alma Julius
While the limited-short content that these platforms provide us forces us to have fragmented attention — they, on the other hand, equip creators to be succinct and concise creative content creators. There may also be more underlying advantages of these platforms other than the obvious ones.
However, I am simply concerned about the long-run generational effects – will humans still be able to focus for undistracted 2 hours in the next decade to come?
Many thanks for reading my perspective and giving feedback.
My fervent wish is for the personal growth of everyone and the success of all young professionals who put their hearts and souls into finding their purpose in life.
Copyright © Ekene Moses, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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