The TikTok Vortex
Marigrace: OK, so my daughter got me to download it — just- just recently. I just recently got a TikTok.
Barbara: Oh, you’re on now. I gotta find you.
Marigrace: And, yeah, I was in bed, and like, “I’m gonna look at this TikTok thing.” And I get on, and I’m scrolling, I’m scrolling, and I look at the clock — it’s three in the morning.
Barbara: Wow. You’ve been sucked in by the TikTok vortex, let me tell you something.
Marigrace: Oh my God.
Barbara: I have since learned to control myself. So, I was- I was on this morning. I did a few teachings and I got off, because you will get sucked in and it’s in- it’s a rabbit hole.
Barbara: The other thing I wanna warn you about on TikTok, that’s why I said: TikTok is a zoo and it’s vicious. OK?
Barbara: There’re some people who come on their TikTok … Uh, and if you are the sensitive type, if you are the thin-skinned type, TikTok is not for you.
Marigrace: Yeah.
Barbara: Because there are trolls and there are all kinds of people who make it their business to say the most horrible and meanest things to you, about you, about your videos, you name it.
Barbara: So, all this to say: proceed with caution.
Vocabulary
sucked in – pulled into a situation completely, often without meaning to be, “I only planned to watch one video, but I got sucked in and spent hours on my phone.”
vortex – a powerful force that draws everything into its center and is hard to escape, “The busy shopping mall felt like a vortex that took all my money.”
rabbit hole – a confusing or deep path that takes up a lot of your time once you start looking into it, “Searching for old recipes online can turn into a real rabbit hole.”
vicious – very cruel, mean, or dangerous, “The online comments under the article were vicious and hurt his feelings.”
sensitive type – a person who easily gets hurt, upset, or affected by what others say or do, “She is the sensitive type, so please be gentle when you talk to her.”
thin-skinned – easily upset or bothered by criticism or mean remarks, “You cannot be thin-skinned if you want to share your art on the internet.”
trolls – people on the internet who start arguments or say mean things on purpose to upset others, “Just ignore the trolls who leave nasty messages on your page.”
make it their business – to put a lot of effort into doing something that might not even involve them, “Some people make it their business to know everything about their neighbors.”
proceed with caution – to move forward very carefully because there might be danger or trouble ahead, “The roads are very icy, so please proceed with caution on your drive home.”