Anyone else have a doomscroll habit that was getting out of control? To be honest, the year so far has felt very different than past years. Being in a city that is extremely impacted by what the federal government does (we all know it’s been tough for public servants and businesses that work with the federal government – check out here for a DC moms resource!) hasn’t been great for my mental health. Too much time has been spent on my phone, looking at all the horrible news, hot takes, and commentary from anyone and everyone.
When I turned 35, I sort of fell into a “mid-life crisis” and turned to TikTok (and other online ventures) as a way out. Wait, what? I turned to the apps and internet to get out of a midlife crisis partly fueled by being on the apps and the internet?
Yes. Let me explain. Because maybe I’ll help you get away from doomscrolling and be more productive-ish with the limited downtime us parents have.
Why TikTok? Won’t I doomscroll more?
I had made a TikTok account years ago but never posted on it. I had scrolled, endlessly, on TikTok though. It was part of my doomscroll habit. As I realized I wanted to get away from the horribleness on the internet, I also realized that I had no idea how TikTok worked – from the filming and video editing part, to its algorithm, to TikTok shop.
I am also not alone in getting targeted as a mom for “become a creator” type content that tries to get you to start some sort of side hustle or figure out something to help create passive income. This is an area of interest, for sure, because who doesn’t want extra money, but I also know how scammy lots of that stuff is and how much work pursuing online work can be.
So I thought, “why not just start playing around with TikTok?” I started watching videos, yes on TikTok, about how to film good videos and how to do basic editing with the TikTok app. I started looking at things explaining the algorithm and trending topics, sounds, and memes. TikTok just seemed like the logical place to try something new.
The Learning Curve
I’m a millennial, so you’d think a lot of technology would be easy to figure out myself. I was wrong, very wrong. It’s not that the editing apps are hard to use. It’s the opposite; they are very easy. The hard past is making good, smooth, and engaging videos. It’s hard when you want to go beyond the basic stuff and layer different aspects of editing on top of each other. What’s really hard is trying to learn the algorithm. I am a full believer that you could have great, amazing content that just…don’t hit. I’m not going to try and give any advice because 1.) I don’t have any and 2.) this isn’t about becoming a content creator or influencer.
So I haven’t figured out the secret sauce to “going viral,” but I have had fun learning and continuing to try. Again, it’s not about actually becoming a creator for me. It’s about the process. It’s about learning something new. I’ve been making different types of videos using different things and experimenting with things like when to post, do I use hashtags, which hashtags to use. I’ve essentially made this a game for myself. In this mid-life crisis that I am having, TikTok is giving me a game to play that’s actually pretty enjoyable.
My Next Step
When I told my husband I was going to start learning editing and posting on TikTok, he asked me what would be next. And the true answer is – there isn’t a next. This is something I don’t think I will actually win, although I did just say this is sort of like a game. I’m still learning and experimenting every day with stuff. I became eligible for TikTok shop, so now I have a whole new experiment with making videos with “shoppable” products. A new level of this game is to see if I can sell anything and make any money, but making money isn’t my goal. My goal is to continue learning this new skill.
I think something I can look forward to though is using this new skill in my professional or real life. I’ve already used my editing skills once in the office, and I’ve actually suggested a video project that I’d lead to my boss. So we’ll see where that goes. But I think one of the perks of learning a new skill is to use that skill. So I want to use it! Maybe it’ll be in the form of putting together videos of my kids from the past year of their life. Or it’ll be filming and making a memory video after a vacation. Maybe eventually I will try to monetize and do something like UGC (user-generated content).
But for now, I am content playing around and seeing what I learn. I now don’t do the dreaded doomscroll near as much, and I’ve noticed the difference in my mental health. I’ve noticed the time I’m not on my phone when normally I’d try to scroll. I’ve been more present with my kids and husband. It’s been a great change for me over the past few months. And I look forward to continuing to TikTok away.
Just don’t look for any videos of me dancing, as those will never exist.
