TikTok needs to be banned. I hate to say — well, actually, I don't hate to say that. The reality is TikTok has fried the brains of an entire generation to the point where they're no longer interested in anything that takes longer than three seconds. No, not one or two minutes, or even fifteen-minute videos — three seconds. Observing this behavior in third-person reveals its unnaturalness: watching someone scroll through video after video, barely spending three seconds on each, highlights how detached and mechanical the interaction has become.

Overloading the brain

What is the formula? I'm not too sure, but it is clear that the human brain is not designed to laugh, cry, feel anger, unrest, sadness, and pure happiness all within the span of five minutes. Even without the knowledge base of a medical expert, it is difficult to make the case that this is a natural occurrence that serves no purpose or results in no side effects — long or short-term — to the brain.

Other platforms are picking up on it. Now, Reels, as well as Twitter, are just as addicting. It's one thing to say that our society is moving toward instant gratification in every aspect of our lives, but it's another to acknowledge the virus being spread through apps that are algorithmically designed to keep us hooked.

Societal Downfalls of Instant Gratification

What are the downfalls or disadvantages of these kinds of things in our society? Well, for starters, we're already seeing this generation struggle to apply themselves to tasks that require problem-solving, deep thought, or — at its simplest form — thinking for themselves.

I've heard of people — and have observed myself — using ChatGPT for the simplest questions, where the answer is actually quicker to come up with in your head than to type out and ask. Now, if you think this might be okay because it allows the more motivated individuals to find their place and excel while others fall behind — as I once thought — that could be true. But it's not in society's best interest to have such a gap in knowledge among people living in the same first-world country. Whatever science fiction dystopian settings you can imagine, where class separation is magnitudes larger than what we see in our current society, this phenomenon only exacerbates and accelerates that divide.

Beyond Social Media: Cocomelon, The Casino Connection

The issue isn't limited to social media. Cocomelon, a children's cartoon, has subtly and creepily infiltrated the daily lives of millions of American households. The show's jingles appear to follow a specific, almost hypnotic formula that seems to trigger uniform responses in children's brains across the country. There are myriad examples of parents citing 'zombie-like' behavior as soon as kids turn on the show. Behavior that doesn't appear in kids who watch other shows.

It's worth pointing out a few things here. We have a society that for whatever reason, has decided kids don't need quality content and don't know what good TV is anyway. On the surface, the videos appear educational. However, it doesn't take long for kids to get hooked. Even one hour (two shows worth) of "TV time" is enough to get a kid hooked, so parents might not even have a chance to know its bad before it happens.

I'm not an expert on this formula, but its existence is undeniable, and it's clear that it's shaping young minds in a very particular way.

These formulas come from human psychology. It is well understood that casinos have long analyzed the psychological behaviors of their customers to maximize gameplay on slot machines and other games. They design every detail — from the lights, sounds, and colors to the rate of rewards — to keep players engaged and coming back for more. This same strategy is now being applied to platforms like TikTok, Cocomelon, and similar media. The swipe-up or down behavior mirrors the "pull of the lever" on a slot machine, creating an endless loop of anticipation and reward that is highly addictive.

The Reality of it all

The grim reality is that the damage may already have been done to too many from a single generation. In self-reflection, it's interesting to notice how this perspective aligns — at least on the surface — with the so-called "boomer" opinion that social media in general is killing human interaction, or the broader stigma around advancing internet technology from those who might be too old to understand it or are intimidated by change. It's easy to feel like this opinion falls into that same category of resistance.

But after a lot of thought, it's hard to see TikTok and these addicting algorithms as being on the same level as the technologies we've used in the past. This feels like something fundamentally different, something more insidious.

Yes, banning it would devastate many people and leave them feeling empty. However, it's almost as though we have no choice but to eventually ban it or eliminate this type of virus spreading through our country — because the alternatives are far, far worse.

In the past, when I sought valuable insights, there was no easy way to seek out specific or nuanced advice. A simple Google search wouldn't suffice. I would reach out to exceptional individuals, often waiting for their availability to discuss topics in depth. However, I now find myself increasingly reliant on systems like ChatGPT for answers. The boundary between what AI knows and what humans know is becoming increasingly blurred, not because we can't tell the difference, but because AI now often knows more and can explain things better than humans. This shift raises the question of whether this might already represent a form of AGI, especially as the goalposts for defining AGI continue to shift.

I grapple with the idea that I can now learn anything, anytime, to any degree, now. This realization has eerily skyrocketed my motivation, as there's a looming sense that this is a limited window of opportunity. If AI already possesses vast knowledge and capabilities, the time for humans to leverage this to create meaningful work is now. Eventually, as AI continues to evolve, the window for uniquely human contributions may narrow.

We must harness AI's potential while we still can. Before it can do everything on its own. That time is coming, it's a "when," not an "if." It's a call to action to use AI's power to enhance our capabilities and make the most of this unique period in human history.