The rise of social media and the death of hobbies.

This is more of a blog piece then a news piece because I realised that i don't have any hobbies. I get home every day and I might scroll TikTok for a bit, scroll Vinted for a bit and play a game on my computer whilst on call with my friends and then the days over.  

I've had a device since I was probably about 8 being my iPod and then an iPad, but it probably wasn't till I was about 12 when I started to use TikTok and my hobbies died. I used to try to play guitar but gave it up, I used to draw not very well but rarely did it again. Not only that, but I spent most of my time between the ages of 13 and 17 doomscrolling on TikTok, gaming and having no hobbies. 

Even to this day whilst writing this piece I have reached for my phone and scrolled on TikTok, sure you could call this blog a hobby, but it's also a wishful change of professions for the future. 

I wouldn't say it's down to my attention span but more sort of boredom of having nothing to do, TikTok as we know is designed to ruin your attention giving you short hits of dopamine through the carefully crafted algorithm. When I say boredom I mean the fact of having no hobbies, I have things to do, but I won't really enjoy them. 

Reading a piece by science focus there's a part which stands out too me as a student says “"Not being able to watch short videos would be as painful as losing a friend," with participants indicating how much they agreed.” and I wouldn't want to say that deleting TikTok would feel like losing a friend, but it would leave a feeling of emptiness however maybe that's the emptiness I need. To pick up a guitar again or use the skills I've been learning at college for the past year and a half and cook a fancy meal.  

If I was to delete it, short form content is everywhere on News apps, YouTube and I would even call listening to a playlist of hundreds of songs a short form content because I like to listen to the whole album instead, but maybe that's just a stretch.  

Somehow I'm still writing another paragraph of this when it could have ended two paragraphs ago but why is this allowed, I'm living in the time of such regulation where things are put behind a wall of verification where governments claim they care but if they did, they wouldn't allow the apps to ruins people creativity and lives. 

Sure, these apps can allow people to find new things about themselves or to grow their platform, but for some reason all I see is negativity from my algorithm.

This is bit of a nothing burger post