7 Productive Ways to Engage on TikTok
Guest Commentary
Audio By Carbonatix
By Robert Hampshire, Crosswalk.com
As a millennial, I grew up with constant access to computers and the internet at my fingertips. By the time I was a teenager, I was getting connected to friends all around the world through email, instant messaging, and eventually cell phones. Because of that, I used to think that there wasn’t THAT much difference in my teenage years and the current teenagers’ lives. But as I get older, I am noticing one major difference in the culture today and the culture of 20-30 years ago that is making an enormous difference: social media.
Much could be said about the positives and negatives of social media on our culture and world. As a result of the myriad of social media apps, our culture has also been inundated with video content apps such as Vines (although outdated), YouTube, Vimeo, GodTube, Facebook, and Instagram, and others. But in the midst of all of these apps, the one that has seemed to rise to the top as the most controversial and possibly the most influential is TikTok.
Part of the reason for TikTok being so controversial is that it has been accused of being an avenue for America’s opponent (China) to gain information about American users. However, President Trump’s administration recently announced that a deal had been struck with China to keep the video app accessible to the United States. This has apparently settled the issue with most people, although some people are still concerned about the security of their data.
TikTok has been so influential because of its “trends” (especially with music and dance), fashion, and countless clips of “influencers,” celebrities, teachers, preachers, political leaders, and all kinds of other people of all ages sharing their thoughts. And because of the way the algorithms work, the average watcher and consumer of TikTok videos is unwittingly being shaped by the deep rabbit hole of content that is being tailored to them. Not only that, but because of the shortness, high-energy, and fast pace of the popular videos, an entire generation (or more) of people’s attention spans are being affected. Of course, this is happening with Facebook and Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and any other video apps as well.
So if TikTok (and the other social media video apps) and its algorithms shape how millions think, laugh, and live, how can Christians resist distraction and instead be shaped by the unchanging Word of God? For the Christian wanting to be social media and video app savvy while also living a healthy and holy life, here are seven productive ways to engage on TikTok without wasting time.
1. Only Consume if You Are Going to Create
A great rule of thumb to keep from simply becoming a passive consumer of content is to become an active creator of content as well. This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to become a full-time influencer, but it does mean that if you are going to spend time receiving and absorbing information that you take an active role in commenting on, liking, and sharing positive videos (to affect the algorithms in a good way), and even recording and uploading your own commentaries or original content. Think about it like this: what would happen to social media if every Christian decided to input as much positive content into the system as they could?
2. Turn Off Push Notifications
Getting push notifications on your device is helpful to not miss important communication. However, if your device is getting inundated with banners and badges from all of your apps, then you will inevitably miss the most important stuff and get more distracted by the unnecessary stuff. Turning off notifications for TikTok, YouTube, and other social media apps puts you back in control of your phone and the information that you readily see.
3. Delete the App and Use the Website
If you find yourself “doom-scrolling” or just checking (and then re-checking) your social media and video apps when you have thirty spare seconds, then it would probably be a good idea to just delete the app off your phone and simply access the sites through an internet browser or at least an app on your computer or tablet instead of the phone you always have in your pocket. This makes it much harder to mindlessly scroll and waste time.
4. Know Your Limits
One of the hardest things to do is to be honest with ourselves. But it is important to take a personal inventory of the way we spend our time, energy, and focus, and ask ourselves some questions like: Am I wasting work time on social media? Am I affecting my rest and sleep time by watching videos? Is my family time suffering because my phone is getting more attention than the people in my life? And if we find ourselves wasting time and energy with TikTok, etc., then we need to go ahead and set some helpful boundaries.
5. Set Your Own Boundaries
Whether you are an adult, a teen, or a child, you are probably going to need to set your own boundaries on your device and not wait for someone else to do it for you. If your work, rest, and family are suffering from your social media and video app usage, then you need to immediately help yourself out by setting time boundaries through your app of choice (such as the Screen Time feature on the iPhone). Some people even need to go as far as allowing someone else (such as a spouse or friend) to set the password on their Screen Time, etc. app so they cannot just easily ignore the alarm when they reach their time limit. This is one way we can “redeem the time,” as Paul says in Ephesians 5:16.
On a more serious note, if you find yourself seeking out and watching inappropriate content, then an even more drastic approach may be needed in order to make it as easy as you can to maintain your holiness. For example, getting a “dumb” phone or a minimalist “Light Phone” might be the best thing for you, as least for a while. As Jesus taught, if our hand is causing us to stumble and sin, then cut it off (Matthew 5:30)!
6. Be on Mission, Even in Cyberspace
Before Jesus left the earth, he told his disciples (and therefore every follower of Christ) to “go make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-19). We normally only think about this discipleship mission as affecting our real, day-to-day life at work, school, in our home, or at play. And while the people we come in contact with in-person every day are the people that God has called us to reach and disciple, we need to remember that the people we interact with online through social media and in the comment sections of our favorite apps are part of the same mission field. Just because we are in “cyberspace” or online does not give us the right to become “keyboard warriors” and attack everyone we can with sarcasm and cynicism. Instead, they are people that we need to love just the same as our physical neighbor.
7. Remember That Nothing You Do or Say Will Be Hidden
Lastly (and most seriously), we need to remember that every word we ever say, every thought we harbor, every attitude we ever have, and every action we ever take is not only seen by God but will one day be how we are judged. (Matthew 12:36 and Revelation 20:12). This is serious. How we live our lives matters.
But not only that, we must remember that anything we put into the “World Wide Web” stays there - no matter how hard we try to erase it. Many people’s reputations have been ruined because someone else dug up something they said or found a picture of something they did in the past. No matter how private the website is or how personal the message is, before you do anything on social media or before you watch that TikTok video, just assume that what you are doing online will be found out by people sooner or later, who probably won’t give you the benefit of the doubt. As Scriptures guarantee us, we can be sure that our sin will “find” us out (Numbers 32:23).
The life of a Christian is a life of balance, moderation, and wisdom. So utilize the tools you can (whether in the real world or online) in all wisdom. And do whatever you do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Alexander Shatov
Robert Hampshire is a pastor, teacher, writer, and leader. He has been married to Rebecca since 2008 and has four children: Brooklyn, Bryson, Abram, and Aubrey. Robert attended North Greenville University in South Carolina for his undergraduate and Liberty University in Virginia for his Masters. He has served as a worship pastor, youth pastor, family pastor, church planter, and Pastor of Worship and Discipleship. He now serves at Calvary Baptist Church in Florence, South Carolina. He furthers his ministry through his blog site, Faithful Thinking, and YouTube channel. His life goal is to serve God and His Church by reaching the lost with the gospel, making devoted disciples, equipping and empowering others to go further in their faith and calling, and leading a culture of multiplication for the glory of God. Find out more about him here.
