An article by Amelia Tait titled “TikTok has its faults, but it’s also diverse, eye-opening and completely full of life” discusses the positive and negative effects TikTok has worldwide. Although the author highlighted TikTok as a blame for encouraging felonies, providing false information and bad advises by industry professionals, it is mainly disagreed upon. The author justifies that TikTok is a space where people from diverse backgrounds gather to share and learn. This claim is supported by the authors own findings on the app, which has been positive and filled with information no other platforms could provide. The author further justifies her arguement by showing trusted news sources and credited individuals active on the platform. It is easy to see why TikTok is a misinterpreted app, knowing most users are young and critics are older individuals who are not familiar with the application. 

In Tait’s article, she talked about the world of TikTok and the wide range of content that it offers. From a man named Mark who has eaten a block of cheese every night for 25 years to a woman dresses up as a character form The Simpsons. The author argues that TikTok is often misunderstood and despised. To support her claim, she cited a trend that encourages people to jump out of their boats and later revealed to be a hoax. Drawing attention on the author’s experience in this field, she acknowledges TikTok has its flaws. Focusing on adults filming their children as content as well as the possible surveillance issue, but on the other hand, the author avidly supports the platform and praising its inclusiveness and ability to deliver significant peeks into varied human lives. Tait cites examples of users discussing personal challenges, such as individuals dealing with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or providing insights into more peaceful lifestyles, such as an Appalachian homesteader. In the article, the author stated teenagers in the United States spends 99 minutes a day on TikTok, though no studies were stated with her claim, she talks about the information that they consume has great educational value. This is further supported by the author with praises to TikTok as a source of knowledge for these young people, she stated that trusted news source such as New York Times, Daily Mail and Guardian are all on the platform. She compared TikTok to other platforms such Instagram and Twitter, highlighting how TikTok’s accessibility and ability to empower people from all walks of life. The author questions the general tendency to blame TikTok for modern day social concerns and compares it to the past moral panics over new forms of media. Tait further suggests the concern could derived from generational gap and the misunderstanding of the cultural influence that is created by TikTok. Despite all the concerns stated by the author, she thanks TikTok for shedding light into different perspectives from around the world and made her aware of the many possibilities in life.
 

Although the article under consideration offers a mainly favorable assessment of the video-sharing software TikTok, it has several possible fallacies and weaknesses. One such fallacy is the hasty generalization that TikTok conveys more knowledge in a short period of time than other platforms, which ignores the app's diverse selection of high-quality content. Furthermore, drawing parallels between TikTok and other moral panics is a false analogy because concerns about new technology do not disprove specific anxieties about TikTok's influence. The article also mainly relies on anecdotes, which, despite the article being fascinating, it does not give a proper view of the impact the platform has. Emotionally charged language was used by the author, such referring to TikTok as "eye-opening, diverse, mind-bending, and heart-wrenching" as stated from the article, heightens up emotional appeal without always backing up the point.  

 

Tait shares her thoughts concerning TikTok’s influence but does not back up the proclamations with a lot of concrete data, instead instances of educational and interesting TikTok content was provided by Tait. Even though it has been concluded by the author that there are quite a number of possible issues relatable to the app, such as the encouragement of risky/violent behaviours and issues connected with privacy, the author counterclaimed that these concerns are overly focused on. According to the author’s claims, TikTok is a platform that is able to deliver a wide variety of contents with different genres to suit everyone’s tastes. While spotlighting the presence of people from different walks who delivers insightful perspectives on global warming, politics, wealth inequality, and other crucial news stories, the author cited research from Ofcom discussing that TikTok is a well-received news source for 12 to 15-year-olds. While interesting thoughts was shared from the authors perspective while using the app, it could not be fully relied on as it is mostly based on personal experiences. 

 

Although the author discussed both risk and interest factor of TikTok, it is important to note down the authors viewpoint about TikTok is biased to the author’s own experience and preferences. In relation to that, it could not be a reflection of the app to others due to the view of the users which differs depending on the user's life experience. The authors evaluation of TikTok may not be accepted in the near future due to the change of technological landscape and social norms, this is supported by the author citing critics from 1979 who found that people has always been afraid of new forms of information and technologies.  

 

As much as Tait painting TikTok in good light, it can be argued that the app may be a cause of societal concern relating to mental health, privacy and public norms (Dpaulla, 2023). Dpaulla (2023) states that young minds faces mental health issues and developing addictive behaviour could originated from TikTok’s algorithm, this will lead to users to “doom scroll”, which means mindlessly scrolling on TikTok with no end in sight. Besides that, it was also argued on the concerns of data privacy due to TikTok being suspected to be used for propaganda (Dpaulla, 2023). Therefore, Dpaulla (2023) criticizes on TikTok's methods for content filtering and how they affect public conversation (Dpaulla, 2023). 

 

Tait’s view on TikTok is positively biased as the author expresses the assorted genres the app offers to either teach, educate or explore for users, while in the article written Dpaulla (2023) strongly opposes the views of Tait. While acknowledging some potential risks like privacy concerns and dangerous behavior, she believes these concerns are often exaggerated. The first article primarily reflects her personal perspective rather than providing a balanced view. Both articles contribute to the ongoing discussion about TikTok's impact. While the first article emphasizes the app's positive aspects, the opponent's article raises valid concerns about potential negative consequences. These perspectives contribute to a broader conversation about social media's role in society and the importance of addressing any adverse effects that may arise.

​

In the article, Amelia Tait, the author explores TikTok’s criticisms and merits all while acknowledging the potential concerns that may arise from the app. At the same time, the author also stresses how the app has the potential on shedding light of different human experiences in the world. Tait’s observations also highlight on the need approach new technologies with caution, rather than rejecting TikTokaltogether, the author urges for a balanced perspective that values TikTok’s potential to expand. This analysis reminds us of that digital platform such as TikTok, has its complications that require careful consideration. We can better manage the ever-growing digital landscape by studying and understanding these nuances.