It's entertainment, but with a purpose
For months, my after-work unwind time was pulling out my phone and scrolling through TikTok.
My work doesn't allow me to bring my phone into the building, so after I scan my notifications for anything important, TikTok comes up.
I didn't have to think where to pull it up. My index finger knows.
It takes about 15 seconds for me to get into the videos. Then I'm drawn in.
It's painful to pull myself out of TikTok back into the rest of my evening.
And when I do, my attention has already been spent on cheap dopamine, and it's harder to get started on the things that matter.
I have little reason to be on TikTok
Content creators toe a fine line between creating content for their platforms, and consuming it.
It's awfully easy to justify scrolling as “research,” yet have nothing to show for it.
But this kind of consumption is really justified only if you create on the platform you're consuming.
I'm not a creator on TikTok.
I'm a consumer there.
Because of this, I don't have any business being on TikTok from a creative standpoint. If I do start posting there, then that's different. But not now.
Threads, though, is another matter
Threads is a happening place. It's in the sweet spot now.
It has a lot of organic reach at the moment.
There are very few ads on there. I have seen a few, but they're so sparse I don't mind them.
The algorithm is responsive. When I was starting out I liked a few posts that announced X days of being sober, and after that my feed was filled with people announcing how many days they'd been sober. After I started liking some different things and commenting on posts I wanted to see more of, the algorithm adjusted what I saw.
But to the point:
I actually create there.
I have business being on Threads because I create there.
How I encouraged myself going on Threads versus TikTok
I'd just uninstall TikTok, but I do have some reels that I refer to a bit, so that for me is a non-starter.
What I did do was move TikTok out of sight a little bit (second page of my “connect” folder on my phone) and moved Threads to the first spot so I'm sure I see it.
This way, when I'm getting home from work and I'm tired, I naturally gravitate toward Threads on my phone instead of TikTok. If I have a little bubble with a number on it indicating responses or notifications from Threads, it's even easier to tap on that one instead of searching for TikTok.
In essence, I make it easier to choose Threads and harder to choose TikTok. I still can choose TikTok, but I need to work a bit harder and have “purpose in my heart” to do that.
Scrolling, but with a purpose
Switching the social network I scroll on is a pretty easy habit to change. One or the other meets most of the same needs.
One is more productive than the other, and that's a win.
It's a component of a system that, when combined with other practices, can support moving in the direction you want.
I'd like to walk alongside you so we can grow and progress together! I offer my insights on this process in my newsletter six times a week.
(header image by Nicholas Green on Unsplash)