I don't want you to leave
Close your eyes and get tingly
I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I love the segues and tangents you get to experience (have to endure) to see the journey taken in my mind and how I’ve ended up getting to the thing I’ve decided to write about. But I do speak a little about gambling here and so I wanted to give anyone who needs it the heads up. If that is you, check out my archive instead (I actually have enough in there now) or I’ll see you next time.
I know social media is designed to be addictive. Algorithms are there to boost our engagement. Zuckerberg is hoping so badly you won’t leave he created the entire fucking Metaverse for us all to live in. And yet… could it be even more sinister than we think? Obviously.
I enjoy the content on TikTok. It’s candid, easy on the eye and relatable. But I find the immediate serotonin hit of continuous videos perhaps the most addictive of them all. For a while, I’ve been watching ASMR videos on the app to unwind my mind at bedtime. The ASMR hashtag has over 680 billion views on the platform so it’s safe to say I’m not alone in finding comfort from the relaxing and tingling sensations. If you don’t know ASMR, think satisfying sounds - quiet whispers, tapping and rain noises with soft glowy lighting and words of affirmation. The niche of it works so well on TikTok and all the content creators are so dedicated. I actually find their creativity and ingenuity pretty fascinating. I also have a lot of gratitude for how they help anxious minds like mine relax and even fall asleep.
Occasionally I’ll watch live videos too but what I’ve started to become more aware of is how much the format resembles that of gambling sites. I’ll admit, I’ve spent periods of time gambling online. It was never anything drastic and the amounts of money I spent each time were relatively small. However, it came in tandem with being depressed and in the midst of despair. I turned to the instant gratification of gambling and craved the rush it immediately provided. It helped me quiet my racing mind. Of course, we all know just how dangerous gambling can become and I’ve sadly seen it cause tidal waves of issues within the lives of people I know.
When you watch live-streaming videos on TikTok, there are constant pop-ups with details about competitions, in-app events and how to “gift” a creator. There’s also a banner that appears across your screen every time a creator receives the coveted “TikTok universe” gift. It’s the most expensive thing someone can choose to gift and will set you back 34,999 coins. You have to purchase coins to buy gifts and each coin is worth around 1p so 34,999 coins will set you back just under £350. Yikes. When I first saw the banner, it struck me as exactly the same kind of notification you get playing slot games on gambling websites when someone wins the jackpot. You’re inundated with updates, reminded about the constant exchanges of money and the fight for your attention is relentless.
This year, the UK government is set to discuss laws around gambling that would include further regulation for under 25-year-olds, limitations and spending caps for online slot games and the banning of sponsorship on Premier League football shirts. I wonder how long it will take for the link between addiction and social media to also be called into question and widely explored in its own right.
We know the currency of social media is our engagement. Increasing the time we spend logged in and scrolling is the end goal. When people aren’t willingly paying into the pot buying coins that is. Buying gifts for creators has us coming full circle. It’s the ultimate digital-catch-22. Our attention has been bought by social media and sold on for marketing and data insights, all while we’re busy literally parting with cash to buy the attention of those creating content pleading, ‘Someone notice me’.
This isn’t a boycott, it’s a be careful. Unless you live in the state of Montana, that is. Intrigued to see how that unfolds. As I finish writing this I’m winding down for bed and I will probably watch some AMSR videos. So, if you have any favourite ASMR creators, let me know!