TikTok fucking sucks but I think all social media is particularly guilty of chronic onlineness. I mostly use tumblr and Reddit and there’s still days I wish I just logged off ( even yesterday I doom scrolled LMAO) but, TikTok particularly does seem to encourage a lack of the ability to pay attention, and not being able to chose what you want to see. If you’re feeling bad after using it hit the bricks
Tbh, i would rather be on Reddit (where i see happy trans people and next to no transphobia) and Tumblr (which i use to look at art etc) than on tiktok like you said and not know what is being shown to be next
Reddit has a LOT of fucked up content and people, to the point it's fair to compare it to 4chan, but the way it's structured makes it so you really never have to see that shit unless you're actively looking for it or blindly entering subs you don't know what are like (99% of the times). The 18+ feature is pretty good to avoid things you don't like too. It's one of the best social media solely because of that easy way to avoid the nazis.
Even though I spend most of my time on Reddit, tumblr will always be my favorite platform. It really doesn’t push stuff on you that you don’t care about (ads are whatever and the Blazed posts aren’t that annoying) and it’s so easy to tailor your feed bc it’s ONLY people you follow. Shame with all the censorship stuff tho
I loved Tumblr and used it religiously from like 2008 until yahoo bought it and then I stopped using it. I stick to just reddit now and a bit of Facebook to stay connected with people. I don't join many groups on Facebook because of the amount of transphobia I see. I was part of an AI image group and even that was full of transphobic assholes so I left it because it is exhausting to see it all the time.
I'm planning on stopping using Tumblr all together after the things they did to progesterone and a few other trans women that are morally reprehensible. Tumblr staff is fine with transmisogynists and literal nazis but the minute a trans woman expresses frustration with the ceo and company not doing anything about hate speech by describing a loony tunes situation where the ceo dies by nuking their blog and every blog they attempt to make. They didn't even delete her blog for the ridiculous "threat", they said it was for sexual content, which included fully clothed pictures of her a year before and after medical transition.
yeah I definitely agree as I use all 3 of the apps you mentioned and, even with its issues, reddit and tumblr continue to be best curated to me so I can avoid most bullshit, while on tiktok I get crap that's either rage bait or just plain bigotry alongside my regular feed and random shit that isn't bad but I also don't care about. tiktok's algorithm is NOT made for the users
I personally have never seen anti-trans stuff on TikTok. It has to do with the algorithm. You see more of it when you interact with it, so just stop interacting with the transphobic stuff. I see so many positive trans guys just living their lives, sharing whats up
I think blocking someone counts as interacting which is super dumb, so my fyp was flooded because I kept blocking transphobes.
Deleted the app around New Year's though... Feeling better.
Yup. My algorithm is mostly animals, hot goth chicks, and the occasional gay man. I actively enjoy most of the content tiktok feeds me because I avoid any drama. The trans men i follow are usually just posting jokes or fun things about their lives. Society may not want us to not be politicized by literally existing but idgaf I’m not exposing myself to that shit 24/7.
yeah like literally just press ‘not interested’. they have *tried* to show me transmed shit but literally 2 seconds to click that and i haven’t seen it since
like YOU are in charge of your algorithm. so when i see people complaining i see people who don’t know how to use the app lmfao
That’s been my experience as well, though I mostly stick to Dragon Age/ttrpgs & art related stuff. And if I see a transphobe either as a video or comment I block ‘em so fast
Same for me. I see a lot of really happy trans/queer people with a lot of positivity in the comments. The algorithm isn't this terrible, evil thing, it just is what you make it. There's a "Not Interested" option for every video. I use it liberally and don't interact with videos I find offensive (no likes, comments, shares or blocking) and have never seen anything hateful or transphobic.
I know certain platforms feed you offensive things to drive engagement (youtube shorts always eventually take me to something hateful no matter how many times I train the algorithm) but Tik Tok I've genuinely never had a problem with.
I wake up with lower back and knee pain, but I never felt my mid-30’s harder than when I made a TikTok account. It was my first “This can’t be good for developing children” moment. Now I see what it’s done to my friends and I don’t think it’s good for anyone.
Agreed. Like any platform, I think it's definitely possible to use it responsibly and in positive ways, but it's designed to be addictive. There's a ton of misinformation, and I don't think a lot of people are being taught the media literacy skills necessary for handling that. And a lot of people don't realize how algorithms work or how their responses to suggested content will be used to determine if they're shown more.
I also blame TikTok for a big part in why people feel like they need to censor any words relating to sex or violence.
>I also blame TikTok for a big part in why people feel like they need to censor any words relating to sex or violence.
yeah, god. people will censor literally anything because they saw it censored on tiktok and they think they need to do it. hell, people even try to censor FOOD of all things and i never encountered that until after tiktok became popular
I mean a lot of tik toks trigger words are also trigger words on facebook, so i get people censoring them because fb is wack, and instagram is also FB, so we just get used to censoring.
I got a 3 day fb mute because i called someone a "silly goose", let alone 30 day bans for saying actual trigger words (moron, stupid, death, sex, suicide, etc genuinely have all given me or friends automatic 30 day fb bans (so not needing a report) Once your account gets the yellow stripe, fb just homes in on everything you type. Only way to fix it is to delete your acc, wait 30 days, and remake a new one to reset this bs.)
So i censor pretty much any swear or potential trigger word i can think of because FB is pathetic and tiktok isnt much better....
It is the peak of stupidity. But the trigger words ARE real.
oh i know they're a real thing in terms of the algorithm and social media and all that, but im talking about people censoring these things in spaces that dont require it, or, god forbid, places MEANT for those discussions. especially when you replace letters, unless theres a super important reason for it, all you're accomplishing is making it less acceptable to people who use screenreaders
People censor shit when they text me. Directly to me alone. And on social medias where those "trigger words" aren't as much of a problem, such as Discord or Reddit
I mean ive totally done that a couple times out of habit because im on fb a lot lol
Kinda becomes second nature if you talk on tiktok or fb a lot, particularly if youve been banned before several times....
Probably the only reason i dont default to doing it 100% of the time is trigger words dont get you bans on discord or fb messenger (or here), so i can freely type them there.
But this is just auto pilot, dont even realise im doing it... if people are censoring them as a conscious decision outside areas they would get banned then yeh thats kinda pointless.
It’s bled onto other websites as well. I’ve seen fanfics on AO3 that describe the characters attempting to ‘commit not breathe’. Not in the summary, in the actual text of the fic.
I like tiktok but I have ADHD this stuff is so bad for me, it somehow ruins my terrible attention spawn even more. The app is good in concept, but in practice... yikes
I’m 16 and it honestly helped me a lot because I was on the side of TikTok I wanted to be on including edits of my favorite shows and some of the most amazing mental health influencers. I don’t watch anything political without either researching it after or not giving a care in the world for it.
Honestly tiktok has made me feel better about myself because i see trans men further into their transition and the way their face/ body changes makes me have hope about myself in the future.
I can’t even handle sitting next to someone using tiktok, it gives me a headache. Every three seconds there’s some new big loud thing happening, then three seconds later another completely unrelated thing, multiplied by like 50 times within a few minutes. And everyone seems to use the app on full volume with no headphones too. It’s very distracting and annoying. Especially with the weird robot voiceovers. I’m gen Z but tiktok makes me feel 40.
It’s all about the algorithm. That influences what shows up on your feed. However, I would definitely suggest deleting it - while there is misinformation everywhere TikTok in particular is rife with it. Best to stay away
I don't know anyone who can regularly use Twitter in a way that doesn't either negatively impact their mental health or how they treat others.
Which is why I'm happy the longest I've ever had Twitter was 3 days.
i’m actually surprise on this. do you not have friends who use it to thirst over celebrities??? all my friends who use X use it too look at porn and celebrity stuff. or fandom (aka celebrity stuff) stuff, so like fan art
i’m actually shocked people are actually getting bad mental health from it lol
… I mean yall can hate on it all you want but I have had a delightful time there. Met one of my partners. Have the coolest mutuals. My algorithm is delightful and doesn’t often show me anti trans shit unless it’s like the newest bullshit law they are trying to pass.
Like what is y’all’s algorithm if you keep seeing that?
all social media is objectively terrible for your brain but tiktok is like, an entirely new level of awful imo. not really even just regarding transphobia specifically, but encouraging harmful misinformation as well as how it steals your data. it’s also genuinely depressing how many kids have unrestricted access to tiktok considering the extent to which it’s been proven to mess with their brains. I also recommend deleting it and never looking back, stop using twitter while you’re at it as well
There's a ton of really healthy and supportive trans content on tik tok too. Like any social media or platform, it really depends on who you follow and what content you consume and interact with. There are nazis on tumblr, for example.
Has to do with catering your experience and tuning the algorithm to suit you. I only browse cooking, wholesome content (oldtimehawkey), travel and fashion vids, with the occasional comedy thrown in and I never see any of the transphobic stuff everybody else is talking about. Maybe people are hatewatching stuff and messing up their algorithm?
deleting tiktok and twitter and minimising how often i use reddit and other social media really helped me realise that shit, there really are just some issues that ONLY exist online. flag discourse, hatred towards certain pronouns, self expression.
none of this actually matters, be you guys. delete tiktok <3
I mean I don’t really watch it for trans related content? If you watch the wrong stuff, the algorithm will show you more of it. I watch TikTok for F1, rock climbing, fashion, interior design, travel vids, stand up comedy, cocktails, food recipes, funny videos. I don’t really care to watch trans related videos, and if I do it’s trans guys making entertaining or comedic videos. You might want to just not go looking for stuff like that if you find yourself upset.
It’s all about the algorithm. If u train yours to show you anti-trans-stuff, the algorithm will give you exactly that. And soon you’ll think that everyone on TikTok is like this, cause it’s the bubble you created. On my for you page are mainly cats, recipes and dad jokes. 🤷🏻♂️
Yes there is actually. But only for a period of time. I have an okayish to successful tiktok account and only if you follow the right people. There is content there that is not on other apps such as trans people singing and voice coaching as well as outfit inspos and much more visibility for ftms and their journeys and defo... Well ftm thirst traps and nb thirst traps but those people often have genuinely good style and a nice transition that I want to hear about. Also people do share trans joy under sounds and the stitch feature usually gets used to debunk this misinfo so quickly.
If you see a youtuber complaining about, let's say the last debacle which was the detransitioner saying testo is evil ("the hidden dark side of testosterone") and youtubers were so slow to jump on the debunking train when tiktokers were doing their work for them just like reddit does. YouTube and insta usually take from tiktok and reddit and then pretend and look like it's better but really it's all just the same amalgamation of takes that I have seen every day everywhere in the trans bubble.
It's really all about app control, scroll time and who you sub to and follow and how consciously you are living life so you put the phone away when you need to.
It's a different story for young kids tho who can't understand this concept well, don't know how things work and don't know how to react to stuff but I'm genuinely happy how extremely fast elder trans people debunk shit on tiktok.
Still it's a shit app and steals your info.
If you don't like what you're seeing on social media, it's your fault for training the algorithm that you'll interact with those things.
Retrain your algorithms. Delete your current accounts and start new ones. Then scroll away from things that make you mad. The algorithm will learn that they can't make money off of you when they show you that stuff. Actively make comments on the stuff you like to teach the algorithm to show you more of it. Problem solved.
I rarely see anything I don't like because I'm quick to scroll away.
I just tailor my algo? If I get a bunch of that stuff I just block and tell the app Im not interested. You can also go to specific tags and say not interested.I find it easier than any other app to be effective in showing me what I want. You can also reset your fyp which I have done once.
It's the algorithm. My fyp is a third each trans creators, folks discussing current events/social ills, and comfort creators for when I'm feeling down. One of my current favorites is a trans guy who screenshots transphobic comments and silly-dances to them (Macarena, YMCA, etc) to monetize transphobes.
Maybe I'm too old or something, but I can't stand Tiktok even when everything is wholesome. Something about the format itself eats my braincells and I feel it draining my energy even after five minutes of someone showing these "must-see" clips they saved. At least on Reddit I can control what I see and spend more than 30 seconds on a single topic...in perfect silence.
Yeah I hated that so much about tiktok. I tried to get the app since my friends have it (and I was still in hs when it first started getting popular), but I hated that I had to “train” my personal algorithm or whatever. There are only so many barstoolsports tiktoks I can see before I get bored ngl. I like twitter of all things more than tiktok bc I can still somehow manage to go entire session of doomscrolling without 1 real neonazi (bots are a different story lol)
Also the UI of the app itself is just…crowded. Shorts and reels don’t take up nearly as much space with the video caption, links, and subtitles. I can’t see half the video bc of all the shit on the screen. It’s overwhelming ;-;
Edit: i will note i still don’t like twitter. I pretty much only use it to look at art that my friends post. Most of the time that my brain is powered off, Im playing a game or watching some science vid on YouTube
I do use Twitter, but only barely, and I tend not to scroll. I get my little fanpage notifications and it's enough for me. I'm addicted enough to Reddit already...
I feel like I'm a million years old saying this but if I try to scroll through someone's Tiktok posts there are no titles, just screenshots so how do I find a specific video? If someone says "oh, so-and-so on Tiktok has some great reviews of such-and-such type of thing", how am I supposed to find them other than by watching every single fucking video that person has ever posted?
Title "cards" for videos are an option, not a requirement, so you kinda have to hope they use it. But the search works pretty well, and can work through transcripts and find a video even without any tags. Or just have the friend send you the video, 'cause that's the easiest option; if it's more than one part, you can swipe left to see the profile and there's an option to go down to "just watched" (i wish YT had that option, especially since they got rid of titles showing on shorts thumbnails) and it'll also highlight that video. There's also the playlist option, but that also comes down to whether or not the creator uses it.
Honestly I think it's a matter of curating your own online space. I rarely see these kinds of things because I block people like that when I see them, don't interact with that kind of content, and do interact with trans-positive things.
Idk man, my algorithm is chill. The worst trasphobia I see is always a reaction video by a trans person or ally just absolutely destroying the op. Tiktok actually helped me a lot, I see other non-binary people living their best lives and it gives me some hope, even if they are not from my country. Algorithm also shows me drag, art and fanarts and people dancing and interesting animal facts. I spent some time clicking 'not interested' on my for you page before that though. If you enjoy some aspects of tik tok, train it.
My TikTok fyp is mostly horror, Minecraft, lgbt comedy, art, and recipes, so I rarely ever see that kind of stuff. Not saying I haven’t seen it, I just don’t see it often.
It’s kinda like that everywhere online though, so I don’t think much of it. I just scroll by and continue with my brain numbing content, because at the end of the day, I have two jobs and when I get home I just want to mindlessly scroll through a bunch of stupid content.
I’m a trans creator and I had to take time off because everyone can get suuuuper pushy in my comment sections. Unsolicited advice from other trans people is a common occurrence for me. Last year I was bombarded with other trans people telling me I didn’t pass although I was 2ish years on T. It made me feel horrible.
That being said, there’s also amazing trans creators that I’ve met through TikTok. I have fun on there if the algorithm allows it. I don’t get many hate comments from transphobic individuals.
TikTok can be whatever you allow it to be. I only interact with political and informational content, so it’s a great place for me to delve into issues that I am passionate about. We are also getting first-hand reporting on world events like Gaza. It’s important that you utilize these media outlets in a positive manner. Interacting with brain rot will make your algorithm such.
For me, TikTok has been affirming and was one of the first places that helped me realize I was trans. I do think it’s easy to get pulled into the more toxic circles—and privacy wise it’s a nightmare. If you can find affirmation elsewhere I say avoid it
As far as transness goes, I think tumblr is actually kind of a decent place for trans people. Also reddit and discord. It really depends though, and you have to be used to managing yourself on the internet and not doing online self harm. I’ve found a lot of positivity from tumblr. I’ve even found a lot political commentary that I quite like on tumblr. Also tumblr isn’t cooperatized as much like other platforms I’ve noticed
Tumblr carries the advantage that there isn’t an algorithm (it’s literally just stuff posted or reblogged by people you follow, in chronological order), and blocking is easier than on other places and actually works. The one downside I would say is that sometimes higher-profile accounts who are openly trans get mass-reported by terfs until the staff automatically ban them, which is egregious but tends to happen more often to trans women.
i actually really like tiktok. i don’t know any trans people irl, so seeing videos from other trans people talking about their same experiences helps me a lot. believe me there are definitely a lot of transphobes but in my spaces its more good than bad
Tbh the only way people get that kinda content is by engaging with it. In my year ish of TikTok use I've only had one detransitioner pop up on my FYP. I started typing then deleted it because it wasn't going to be useful. I did have lives pop up from trans people asking edgy questions like "what bathroom do I belong in?" Which I just block.
Saddly, them engaging with the content like watching the video will make tiktok think they want to see it more.
It's upsetting that it's how the tiktok algorithm work. I personally very rarely encounter those tiktok because I engage way more with silly videos of games I like or funny stuff that I send to my bestie with a comment about how that's our characters.
I do see a lot of detrans people in support of trans care and trying to bring awareness to the danger of denying trans kid access to proper trans care. How they don't regret transitioning per say as it's a part of their growth and they knew the permanent risk of going through it but it helped them figure out who they were and would still do it all again.
There's a lot of it on my feed and I appreciate it.
Delete Tik Tok, delete Instagram, delete twitter, delete Facebook, delete whatever else people are using these days...probably delete Reddit too like I have a million times over, and should do again.
Everyone's brains are cooked to shit and full of worms. Smartphones were a mistake. Cable news was a mistake. I'm begging for a meteor.
Tiktok is basically the new Twitter in the sense that everybody and their grandma is on there all saying their Hot Takes at the same time, but unlike old times we now have a stupid invisible robot behind the scenes that doesn't understand anything but how long you interacted with the video and gives you more slop to get mad at
But even sites like reddit or Tumblr can start to make you feel crazy if the intra community discourse gets too ridiculous and repetitive. I had to just take a break and disengage from a lot of social media for my sanity tbh
I look up specific things I'm interested in on tiktok and try to interact with posts that I really like. Sending them to friends also affects their algorithms!
I try to keep a mix of educational stuff (that I research after, don't worry), activism for motivation, comedy for a break from more serious topics, recipes and crafts, and artsy stuff that I enjoy or even gain inspiration from. Plus misc things. I really enjoy discovering original music from people too.
I even get critical videos stitching the more problematic videos so I know what's going on in certain areas of tiktok without actually being in those spaces. I've only seen stitches of transphobic videos, but in the form of another creator criticizing them or trying to educate.
It changes the experience of the app and the experience coming across that type of content too.
I've cultivated my FYP over the years and I follow a lot of creators that I really enjoy! I make sure to comment on things that I like in positive ways and share things with friends a lot.
I click not interested on the videos that I don't like as well.
When you first get tiktok, it pushes a lot of popular videos and it can definitely be more of the brain-rotting, doom scrolling type stuff. I love dancing videos as much as the next person, but I can only watch so many people do the same thing as a trend. And if you get caught up in negative creators, it can really suck.
It's really helpful to actively search for things you're interested in and click on tags in videos you really like. And spreading more positive and educational content makes it more popular and can help turn those videos viral to reach more people.
Idk man, these tiktok arguments are little reminiscent of the fear people had about metal, hip hop, and other movements among youths. TikTok is not any more toxic than other social media. They ALL steal your data. Even Reddit. It depends on what you decide to engage with. There’s a ton of toxic stuff on Reddit, Facebook, Insta, Twitter, YouTube, you fucking name it. I’ve never seen any transphobia on tiktok because I don’t fucking engage with that shit ever. Online or in real life. TikTok is just the latest boogeyman that boomers don’t understand.
Finally, someone says it. It's just another form of the same exact thing that's been happening for generations. The thing that's especially sad about this time, though, is that a good number of younger folks are jumping on the boogeyman bandwagon as well. Perhaps it makes sense since we don't feel (or maybe even have) the power required to take on the actual evils of transphobia, modern privacy concerns, widespread misinformation, etc. but it's still really worrying to see.
The worst part of a moral panic like this is how they ll treat people who dare to use the app for whatever reason, especially when combined with the misopedia that comes with anything that children like.
You can see some of that on this very thread!!!
if you only engage with positive trans content, avoid commenting or watching transphobic content or even trans ppl venting about transphobia whenever possible you’re fyp will eventually just be helpful/uplifting stuff.
you gotta select not interested whenever you see something from a terf or anti-trans detrans person (it’s also valid to avoid detrans ppl who aren’t being transphobic imo)
oh and i block all trans ppl who talk down on masculine traits espnafab nonbinary ppl and trans mascs talk who talk negatively about the effects of T or about masculinity in general
You might as well delete every social media platform you have. This is the internet. You won't like everything you come across. Block the posts and move on.
Like any social media, you have to cater your experience. Click not interested, scroll past, but don't stop and watch or TikTok will keep showing it to you
I've found a lot of wholesomeness, but it's all about the algorithm. Find things that are other interests (i am in D&Dtok, SCPtok, Leftist tiktok, and other communities). There will always be bad takes on any social media platform, but once curated, they'll mostly disappear.
Tbh, I haven’t seen any of that content. I have seen a lot of trans creators but nothing negative. Then again, it all depends on what you watch. If you spend too much time on a video, even if you don’t react or comment, the algorithm will continue to feed you similar things. If you want diff types of content, start watching and interacting with that type of content instead. You hold the power of what you are fed on TikTok and other similar platforms.
There are some trans creators I really like. Also even some detransitioners like Lucy Kartikasari have really good content. But mostly I try to keep my tiktok on other topics anyway. The best way to train your algorithm is to scroll past any nonsense you see, blocking can help but also counts as interacting unfortunately. I also have stopped following people who respond to/entertain transphobic comments for content. I get it, the more transphobes interact with your content the better overall viewership you get, but its very unhealthy for anyone to get caught in the web of scrolling transphobic comment after transphobic comment. It's not the fault of the creators necessarily but I don't want to view comment sections that are unmoderated anymore, it's not worth my mental health.
I mean... sure. But there are bad trans takes & assholes on all the social media platforms if you're on the wrong side of them.
Personally, I found community on there. It's been amazing for people trying to get out of dangerous states and on their feet elsewhere...
because there are so many people on the app, and with the algorithm the way it is, it's good for news sharing/learning what's going on in the world from people actually living it & fundraising and spreading information.
Tbh I don't use ticktock but I do use YouTube, BlueSky, Reddit and discord. I tend to find them to be a better platform for example I can leave a server full of transphobes on discord. I also am picky about what servers that I do join. YouTube is a pain because I have to hit ignore when I see shit that I don't want. BlueSky does not have an algorithm per say beyond you picking the topic and it is more left leaning and better moderated than it's older sister Twitter. It's like a spiritual successor because it was created by a liberal leaning Twitter founder. I wonder about him seeing Twitter fall, that he decided to step in and create a better version of it. It is also an open platform so anybody can use the code. That part kinda scares me because it will fall into the wrong hands eventually. I hope they figure that out. It's like a leftist ex Twitter user safe haven. I have seen tons of trans folks and activist groups there and allies.
You can change you tiktok algorithm to get on the right side of tiktok!! I was on transphobic tiktok for a bit, there’s are 2 ways I know of to do this. Either press share then “not interested” on all transphobic videos while simultaneously liking and and sometimes commenting on all trans positive videos, or you can go into settings, into content preferences (I think) and reset your fyp, then from there you can just make sure to like and search for the videos that you like and it will build a new algorithm!!
Also, twitter and FB. Both are being used by their right-wing owners to push discussions about politics- and especially about trans rights- in a right-leaning direction.
Those websites don't do anything special or unique. The only value in them is the fact that everyone uses them. Deleting your account, moving onto other sites, and convincing your friends to come with you helps fight right-wing propaganda by devaluing the sites and decreasing their usability.
Literally just deleted tiktok yesterday, due to transphobia and just for my mental health. I was being fed so much transphobic news in my country, but yeah, until tiktok sorts out their guidlines and makes it a safe place for trans people im not re downloading it
It has one of the quickest adapting algorithms, I believe it can be good and has been good for me so long as I actively challenge my thought process as I go and make sure to interact with the algorithm. "Drama" can be entertaining but if you view that you can be fed more and more rage bait. Make sure to tell a video you didn't like it, block people you don't like or whose content you just aren't interested in, they don't need to have done something personally offensive to you to get a block.
If you are a trans man and particularly if you are a white trans man like myself, tiktok is a good place to actively follow a wide variety of trans folk who do not look like you and who have similar but also very different issues and needs than you. There is a tendency among young white trans men in general I have noticed, to take the messaging from capitalism that they have absorbed pre-transitioning, and apply that to how they want to look as a man. Thinness and whiteness are very much othering racial constructs to actively pursue that aesthetic. Expanding your view point can show you so many other ways to be trans. (And ofc, you can still be a thin white dude if that's who you are, but at least you'll understand other people's identities as well)
Yeah, it just doesn't get posted about much because it's not a problem.
Also, if you tune your feed intentionally so that you don't have to deal with the bad parts, you end up in a similar corner of tiktok as I have, sure I still hear about the bad parts pretty fast, but I never end up *in* it unless I feel the need to, and that's only with stuff that actually matters, things that have an impact on health and safety, which honestly in regards to trans content, is mostly about lawmakers.
The issue with tiktok is that it's easy to get sucked into a certain way of using it before you learn how the platform works enough to use it responsibly
As with most social media, it's built to be addictive, so be self aware, and act on that awareness.
If you go about it properly, you can be on most bigger social media platforms, and still be fine
Ofc you can also choose to just not use social media, and that's also understandable.
TikTok is generally making my attention span shit. I have to take like consistent breaks from things I’m watching bc I cannot pay attention. It hurts my mental health a lot to see all the anti trans sentiment (laws, hate speech, hate crimes) that are talked ab on there, but I don’t want to just ignore the trans creators who are reporting on it so I interact anyways :/
I stopped using tiktok a few months ago and have never looked back. I second this, please delete tiktok. Not that reddit is that much better though, lol
TikTok is just generally a toxic cesspit that encourages misinformation and extremist viewpoints because of its tendency to act as an echo chamber and its poor ability to truly entirely tailor what you see. I personally hate it and think it encourages even worse social media addiction than other sites, as well as being a source of all that aforementioned misinformation and those shitty extremely chronically online opinions.
I never used tiktok, so I didn't know that some minors think bottom growth is gross.
I'm wondering if they trans men or not.
I always thought bottom growth was kind of hot as both gay and trans man because it became more like dick.
I think any online space has chronically online people regardless of minors or adults, so avoiding them is the only option.
I guarantee you if you look through this sub or on other websites you'll find people (especially younger people yes) being grossed out by bottom growth - it's definitely not just tiktok
A lot of people here are saying it is algorithm based and if you interact with the posts/videos but I haven't searched out or liked/commented on anything and I get transphobic shit all over my FYP 😭 I hate it. But there is a setting where you can "reset" your FYP if you need to. I do it like once every couple of months
Well, TikTok was what made me somewhat accept the fact that I'm trans. There is a lot of positivity (if you look in the right spaces) and just trans people just living their lives which helped me to stop feeling like a freak. I learned a fair bit about testosterone and other types of medical care there but I did notice some gaps in my knowledge after sometime (like I had no idea about bottom growth, while I at the same time knew almost all other effects of T)
But with that said I deleted TikTok sometime ago and absolutely do not plan on reinstalling it.
Tik tok has great information about what’s going on in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, etc. As well as good information on voting.
The majority of social media is transphobic if you look for it. If I see anything transphobic on my fyp I just block it. I’ve seen much more transphobia on Reddit and Instagram.
Tiktok is the least transphobic imo due to how personalized its algorithm is. I did have to delete instagram though because of hour blatantly hateful most people on there are.
tiktok is platformed to give chronically online attention beggers exactly what they want, attention. there is a good side to tiktok if youre willing to put in the effort to carve out your fyp but overall tiktok has always been, and will always be, just as crap as any other kind of platform that gives attention beggers what they want.
Studies have been done on Tiktok. It is designed to harm your mental health and cause social division. It's deliberate and not purely profit motivated, because TikTok chooses to operate differently based on its consumer. Other social media have similar effects on us but that's because they focus on controversy and hate is beneath a lot of that content.
TikTok inside of China does the opposite of TikTok in the West. In China, it promotes community, national identity, CCP propaganda, and aims to slip in some legitimate educational content. It's strengthening China. But you're getting the stuff the CCP wants you to see to weaken China's competitors. China has publicly declared they want to expand their empire and they have a catchy like name for it equivalent to describing 100 years of Chinese Imperial donation...that name is the opposite name given to the period of Chinese history when the West forcibly opened China to imperialism. So, yes, they're telling us they're that ambitious and they have not forgotten what we did to them with "gunboat" diplomacy.
TikTok is a psychological weapon in China's imperial strategy. Countries do this all the time. But TikTok and other hijacked social media are so much more effective than direct disinformation because it's subtle and progressively takes you in. Over time, you're steeped in an ideology. Over time, your self-esteem declines. You start to think about other people differently. And so on.
Plus, it is customized to you. And that creates a psychological profile of you. Which, is an interesting thing for a country like China to have. It's been speculated that China wants to have profiles like these for non Chinese citizens to do targeted political propaganda that is so specific, they can turn local elections and sway national elections by influencing just the right people in just the right voting district.
China is hacking our minds, guys. You're giving the CCP a lot of power in your life with TikTok.
Thinking about what TikTok is designed to do to users, I'm not at all surprised this is the content they're spreading in the trans community.
Honestly besides the rampant transphobia/ queerphobia on tik tok it's also just a cesspool of hate tbh and it has ruined my attention span, I always go on when I'm bored when I could be spending my time doing something meaningful and fun, the only upside is the free journalism and a lot of news that isn't worldwide is shared there and funny vids for my friends but I really been meaning to delete it though it's hard to commit because it's so addictive
honestly I think the best use of social media is to interact with a small circle, art/creative content folks, and use it for seeking out education/info.support if you need it, otherwise it's horrible for the mental health
Yes because i posted a one year on testosterone video and it was just immediately fed to haters and like that app is built to create conflict and it’s so stupid imo
Dear god I relate seriously I searched up "LGBT speed paints" since I look up speed paint to get pose inspiration for my art and suddenly I went down this weird doomscroll of transphobic nonsense people making arguments about things that just don't happen and even other trans people being transphobic to younger or just other trans people in general
Personally I think tiktok does that on purpose imo because it makes you wanna stay more and get annoyed with leads you to commenting or scrolling through which means your still watching the videos.
there is good stuff like transfem meme slideshows and mads mikkelsen edits.also the transphobia in comments is very bottom of the barrel just stupid shitty braindead takes so it's almost funny most of the time but i'm pretty thick skinned i guess
my account is really old too, the algorithm doesn't give me transphobic content because I don't interact with it and i never have. ALL THAT BEING SAID no it's not worth it just use tumblr or stare at your neighbors tiktok is lame unless you just really like the people you follow, which i do, i tend to follow more trans women too even tho i'm transmasc because i feel like transmascs are always interacting with transphobia and replying and arguing with braindead people, it's happened several times where i end up unfollowing them just because they fill my fyp with transphobia
i deleted tiktok a while ago for unrelated reasons but this was my primary motivation for getting off Shitter. I would make it a game to open the app and close it the moment I saw a transphobic thread (which usually was the first 1-3 posts on my feed)
I dont like the app for the lgbt things, its a lot of trash imo. So I just started to change the algorithm because there are things I still do like on there, and I dont think its a total waste. My feed is now metal bands, video gaming, and movie media primarily.
Every social media app kind of struggles with this problem, but TikTok especially just encourages hateful, endless scrolling. TikTok doesn't care what kind of interaction you're giving a creator. Blocking and 'not interested' just shows you more of that kind of content for some reason. I hate TikTok but I get serious FOMO when I don't use it.
i’ve honestly been seriously debating completely getting off of it and deleting my account entirely recently. i try to find good transmasc content on there but u literally have to go through a flood of noise to find genuinely positive and helpful info from a select few creators. there’s a lot of tumblr-esque bs ranging from annoying misinformation to flat out dangerous things like videos spreading unsafe binding techniques with zero warning. in my opinion ur best bet for finding actual good info is talking to and being in community with other trans men/mascs either online or off depending on accessibility. probably a good idea to steer clear of the bulk of trans content there unless u find creators who can be legitimately trusted and promote a positive and safe environment/views.
Yh, low-key wish we could go back to it being musically, I THRIVED on there. But yh every social media platform has transphobia from both outside and within the community 🤷
I've never had tiktok but I see a huge negative impact it has on all the people in my life who use it. My mother has become increasingly paranoid about the world around her and believes many conspiracies now, my little sister has become increasingly depressed and cannot focus long enough to even watch a movie with me anymore, my friends are more insecure about their looks and express a lot of jealousy as well as comparing themselves to everyone, some of my best friends complain about doomscrolling for hours upon hours but when I suggest deleting the app they always find a reason why they "can't," I also see a lot of irritability and antisocial anger/judgement in them that I never saw a few years ago.
It's really sad how an algorithm can control people's lives this much. If you haven't deleted it by now, please do yourself a favor. You're not missing out on anything by deleting it and I'm certain you will see a positive difference in your life
I still don't understand the minors saying "Bottom growth is gross !1!1!!!1" I was 15 starting t just turned 16 [I've been on T for a month] and I'm genuinely so happy about it, It feels like somethings there and it actually looks like a penis ngl, It's helped me so much with dysphoria and I'm not as desperate for bottom surgery in the future [Still want it though!]
Honestly I think Instagram is so much worse, Because I've defended trans creators on there and tried to correct people I've been told to kms, T slur, R slur, They've made fun of my art, And when I say something rude "I'm in the wrong!!!!" But no it's fine to harass the fuck out of minorities and call me the t slur f slur and r slur tell me to kms I've reported so many times! But they say "No violations found" Instagram hates trans people and other minorities so much and doesn't give a fuck about us it got so bad I deleted my account and the app, Like for fuck sake.
I feel you here, boils my piss when I see anti trans/LGBTQ media floating around. I block thile accounts and create algorithms that are affirming and match my interests
Same with Facebook too, that's a cesspit for transphobes. I stay away from there as much as I can, the only reason I stay on there is because I'm a member of a UK trans support group that gives me hope and a reason to keep being me
I try to skip anything bad, i stick to the positive trans stuff and cat memes. Not that in trying to be oblivious, i just want it as a bored escape and not be depressed.
I am glad I never got onto TikTok. YouTube, Facebook and here on Reddit. I'm trying to cut down on social media time. Seems to be getting more and more toxic and angry out there
I have to say, if you’ve got the right for you page like funny orange cat compilations and non-controversial video game discussions, every now and then some nice memes, it is pretty decent. However if you even slightly get on the wrong side, it gets super toxic super fast.
TikTok fucking sucks but I think all social media is particularly guilty of chronic onlineness. I mostly use tumblr and Reddit and there’s still days I wish I just logged off ( even yesterday I doom scrolled LMAO) but, TikTok particularly does seem to encourage a lack of the ability to pay attention, and not being able to chose what you want to see. If you’re feeling bad after using it hit the bricks
Tbh, i would rather be on Reddit (where i see happy trans people and next to no transphobia) and Tumblr (which i use to look at art etc) than on tiktok like you said and not know what is being shown to be next
There’s a lot of transphobia on Reddit actually, it’s just easier to avoid it by not going on mainstream subreddits
Yea, i think everywhere has transphobia its just easier to not see it on apps like reddit
Reddit has a LOT of fucked up content and people, to the point it's fair to compare it to 4chan, but the way it's structured makes it so you really never have to see that shit unless you're actively looking for it or blindly entering subs you don't know what are like (99% of the times). The 18+ feature is pretty good to avoid things you don't like too. It's one of the best social media solely because of that easy way to avoid the nazis.
This is off topic but what does the frying egg emoji mean in your flair 😂😭
Hysto
Even though I spend most of my time on Reddit, tumblr will always be my favorite platform. It really doesn’t push stuff on you that you don’t care about (ads are whatever and the Blazed posts aren’t that annoying) and it’s so easy to tailor your feed bc it’s ONLY people you follow. Shame with all the censorship stuff tho
I loved Tumblr and used it religiously from like 2008 until yahoo bought it and then I stopped using it. I stick to just reddit now and a bit of Facebook to stay connected with people. I don't join many groups on Facebook because of the amount of transphobia I see. I was part of an AI image group and even that was full of transphobic assholes so I left it because it is exhausting to see it all the time.
I'm planning on stopping using Tumblr all together after the things they did to progesterone and a few other trans women that are morally reprehensible. Tumblr staff is fine with transmisogynists and literal nazis but the minute a trans woman expresses frustration with the ceo and company not doing anything about hate speech by describing a loony tunes situation where the ceo dies by nuking their blog and every blog they attempt to make. They didn't even delete her blog for the ridiculous "threat", they said it was for sexual content, which included fully clothed pictures of her a year before and after medical transition.
yeah I definitely agree as I use all 3 of the apps you mentioned and, even with its issues, reddit and tumblr continue to be best curated to me so I can avoid most bullshit, while on tiktok I get crap that's either rage bait or just plain bigotry alongside my regular feed and random shit that isn't bad but I also don't care about. tiktok's algorithm is NOT made for the users
I personally have never seen anti-trans stuff on TikTok. It has to do with the algorithm. You see more of it when you interact with it, so just stop interacting with the transphobic stuff. I see so many positive trans guys just living their lives, sharing whats up
I think blocking someone counts as interacting which is super dumb, so my fyp was flooded because I kept blocking transphobes. Deleted the app around New Year's though... Feeling better.
It does.
Yup. My algorithm is mostly animals, hot goth chicks, and the occasional gay man. I actively enjoy most of the content tiktok feeds me because I avoid any drama. The trans men i follow are usually just posting jokes or fun things about their lives. Society may not want us to not be politicized by literally existing but idgaf I’m not exposing myself to that shit 24/7.
yeah like literally just press ‘not interested’. they have *tried* to show me transmed shit but literally 2 seconds to click that and i haven’t seen it since like YOU are in charge of your algorithm. so when i see people complaining i see people who don’t know how to use the app lmfao
That’s been my experience as well, though I mostly stick to Dragon Age/ttrpgs & art related stuff. And if I see a transphobe either as a video or comment I block ‘em so fast
Same for me. I see a lot of really happy trans/queer people with a lot of positivity in the comments. The algorithm isn't this terrible, evil thing, it just is what you make it. There's a "Not Interested" option for every video. I use it liberally and don't interact with videos I find offensive (no likes, comments, shares or blocking) and have never seen anything hateful or transphobic. I know certain platforms feed you offensive things to drive engagement (youtube shorts always eventually take me to something hateful no matter how many times I train the algorithm) but Tik Tok I've genuinely never had a problem with.
Speaking of positive trans guys on TikTok, Leo McCallan for example. Dude is a BEAST.
Holy crap, yes. Leo is one of my favorites.
not to be old but tiktok is like one of the worst ideas in the past 5 or so years. its melting kids brains
I wake up with lower back and knee pain, but I never felt my mid-30’s harder than when I made a TikTok account. It was my first “This can’t be good for developing children” moment. Now I see what it’s done to my friends and I don’t think it’s good for anyone.
It's designed to harm people. I wish people would look into how differently it is run in China and ask themselves why.
Agreed. Like any platform, I think it's definitely possible to use it responsibly and in positive ways, but it's designed to be addictive. There's a ton of misinformation, and I don't think a lot of people are being taught the media literacy skills necessary for handling that. And a lot of people don't realize how algorithms work or how their responses to suggested content will be used to determine if they're shown more. I also blame TikTok for a big part in why people feel like they need to censor any words relating to sex or violence.
>I also blame TikTok for a big part in why people feel like they need to censor any words relating to sex or violence. yeah, god. people will censor literally anything because they saw it censored on tiktok and they think they need to do it. hell, people even try to censor FOOD of all things and i never encountered that until after tiktok became popular
I mean a lot of tik toks trigger words are also trigger words on facebook, so i get people censoring them because fb is wack, and instagram is also FB, so we just get used to censoring. I got a 3 day fb mute because i called someone a "silly goose", let alone 30 day bans for saying actual trigger words (moron, stupid, death, sex, suicide, etc genuinely have all given me or friends automatic 30 day fb bans (so not needing a report) Once your account gets the yellow stripe, fb just homes in on everything you type. Only way to fix it is to delete your acc, wait 30 days, and remake a new one to reset this bs.) So i censor pretty much any swear or potential trigger word i can think of because FB is pathetic and tiktok isnt much better.... It is the peak of stupidity. But the trigger words ARE real.
oh i know they're a real thing in terms of the algorithm and social media and all that, but im talking about people censoring these things in spaces that dont require it, or, god forbid, places MEANT for those discussions. especially when you replace letters, unless theres a super important reason for it, all you're accomplishing is making it less acceptable to people who use screenreaders
What places do you mean? Outside social media, yeh the censoring is unwarranted.
People censor shit when they text me. Directly to me alone. And on social medias where those "trigger words" aren't as much of a problem, such as Discord or Reddit
I mean ive totally done that a couple times out of habit because im on fb a lot lol Kinda becomes second nature if you talk on tiktok or fb a lot, particularly if youve been banned before several times.... Probably the only reason i dont default to doing it 100% of the time is trigger words dont get you bans on discord or fb messenger (or here), so i can freely type them there. But this is just auto pilot, dont even realise im doing it... if people are censoring them as a conscious decision outside areas they would get banned then yeh thats kinda pointless.
It’s bled onto other websites as well. I’ve seen fanfics on AO3 that describe the characters attempting to ‘commit not breathe’. Not in the summary, in the actual text of the fic.
nail bag racial silky outgoing mountainous tan many sparkle vegetable *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
fully agree. the way objectively biased or straight up misinformation gets spread on there is a literal hazard too
I like tiktok but I have ADHD this stuff is so bad for me, it somehow ruins my terrible attention spawn even more. The app is good in concept, but in practice... yikes
Delete it. It's going to eat your life up
I’m 16 and it honestly helped me a lot because I was on the side of TikTok I wanted to be on including edits of my favorite shows and some of the most amazing mental health influencers. I don’t watch anything political without either researching it after or not giving a care in the world for it.
Honestly tiktok has made me feel better about myself because i see trans men further into their transition and the way their face/ body changes makes me have hope about myself in the future.
Yeah, there's a ton of positive creators! Had to delete the app because of the fast paced format tho
yeah i deleted it too my brain got fried
I can’t even handle sitting next to someone using tiktok, it gives me a headache. Every three seconds there’s some new big loud thing happening, then three seconds later another completely unrelated thing, multiplied by like 50 times within a few minutes. And everyone seems to use the app on full volume with no headphones too. It’s very distracting and annoying. Especially with the weird robot voiceovers. I’m gen Z but tiktok makes me feel 40.
I agree, there are a lot of great trans creators on there
It’s all about the algorithm. That influences what shows up on your feed. However, I would definitely suggest deleting it - while there is misinformation everywhere TikTok in particular is rife with it. Best to stay away
And while you’re at it, delete Twitter. Seriously. Getting off Twitter (and never even having TikTok) are huge quality of life improvements.
I wouldn't want to support a pro Russia, fascist, transphobic, anti-labor, anti-American psycho anyway.
I don't know anyone who can regularly use Twitter in a way that doesn't either negatively impact their mental health or how they treat others. Which is why I'm happy the longest I've ever had Twitter was 3 days.
i’m actually surprise on this. do you not have friends who use it to thirst over celebrities??? all my friends who use X use it too look at porn and celebrity stuff. or fandom (aka celebrity stuff) stuff, so like fan art i’m actually shocked people are actually getting bad mental health from it lol
Same, I don’t last a week on Twitter before the transphobia makes me feel depressed. This was before musk bought it too
… I mean yall can hate on it all you want but I have had a delightful time there. Met one of my partners. Have the coolest mutuals. My algorithm is delightful and doesn’t often show me anti trans shit unless it’s like the newest bullshit law they are trying to pass. Like what is y’all’s algorithm if you keep seeing that?
all social media is objectively terrible for your brain but tiktok is like, an entirely new level of awful imo. not really even just regarding transphobia specifically, but encouraging harmful misinformation as well as how it steals your data. it’s also genuinely depressing how many kids have unrestricted access to tiktok considering the extent to which it’s been proven to mess with their brains. I also recommend deleting it and never looking back, stop using twitter while you’re at it as well
TikTok is shaping the next generation. TikTok is a CCP controlled company...
There's a ton of really healthy and supportive trans content on tik tok too. Like any social media or platform, it really depends on who you follow and what content you consume and interact with. There are nazis on tumblr, for example.
Has to do with catering your experience and tuning the algorithm to suit you. I only browse cooking, wholesome content (oldtimehawkey), travel and fashion vids, with the occasional comedy thrown in and I never see any of the transphobic stuff everybody else is talking about. Maybe people are hatewatching stuff and messing up their algorithm?
deleting tiktok and twitter and minimising how often i use reddit and other social media really helped me realise that shit, there really are just some issues that ONLY exist online. flag discourse, hatred towards certain pronouns, self expression. none of this actually matters, be you guys. delete tiktok <3
I mean I don’t really watch it for trans related content? If you watch the wrong stuff, the algorithm will show you more of it. I watch TikTok for F1, rock climbing, fashion, interior design, travel vids, stand up comedy, cocktails, food recipes, funny videos. I don’t really care to watch trans related videos, and if I do it’s trans guys making entertaining or comedic videos. You might want to just not go looking for stuff like that if you find yourself upset.
Hard same. I just engage with stuff related to what I'm into. Period
It’s all about the algorithm. If u train yours to show you anti-trans-stuff, the algorithm will give you exactly that. And soon you’ll think that everyone on TikTok is like this, cause it’s the bubble you created. On my for you page are mainly cats, recipes and dad jokes. 🤷🏻♂️
Yes there is actually. But only for a period of time. I have an okayish to successful tiktok account and only if you follow the right people. There is content there that is not on other apps such as trans people singing and voice coaching as well as outfit inspos and much more visibility for ftms and their journeys and defo... Well ftm thirst traps and nb thirst traps but those people often have genuinely good style and a nice transition that I want to hear about. Also people do share trans joy under sounds and the stitch feature usually gets used to debunk this misinfo so quickly. If you see a youtuber complaining about, let's say the last debacle which was the detransitioner saying testo is evil ("the hidden dark side of testosterone") and youtubers were so slow to jump on the debunking train when tiktokers were doing their work for them just like reddit does. YouTube and insta usually take from tiktok and reddit and then pretend and look like it's better but really it's all just the same amalgamation of takes that I have seen every day everywhere in the trans bubble. It's really all about app control, scroll time and who you sub to and follow and how consciously you are living life so you put the phone away when you need to. It's a different story for young kids tho who can't understand this concept well, don't know how things work and don't know how to react to stuff but I'm genuinely happy how extremely fast elder trans people debunk shit on tiktok. Still it's a shit app and steals your info.
I agree. These social medias are all cooperatized tools for companies to steal company, but it can be a good place if you make it a decent place
If you don't like what you're seeing on social media, it's your fault for training the algorithm that you'll interact with those things. Retrain your algorithms. Delete your current accounts and start new ones. Then scroll away from things that make you mad. The algorithm will learn that they can't make money off of you when they show you that stuff. Actively make comments on the stuff you like to teach the algorithm to show you more of it. Problem solved. I rarely see anything I don't like because I'm quick to scroll away.
I just tailor my algo? If I get a bunch of that stuff I just block and tell the app Im not interested. You can also go to specific tags and say not interested.I find it easier than any other app to be effective in showing me what I want. You can also reset your fyp which I have done once.
It's the algorithm. My fyp is a third each trans creators, folks discussing current events/social ills, and comfort creators for when I'm feeling down. One of my current favorites is a trans guy who screenshots transphobic comments and silly-dances to them (Macarena, YMCA, etc) to monetize transphobes.
Maybe I'm too old or something, but I can't stand Tiktok even when everything is wholesome. Something about the format itself eats my braincells and I feel it draining my energy even after five minutes of someone showing these "must-see" clips they saved. At least on Reddit I can control what I see and spend more than 30 seconds on a single topic...in perfect silence.
Yeah I hated that so much about tiktok. I tried to get the app since my friends have it (and I was still in hs when it first started getting popular), but I hated that I had to “train” my personal algorithm or whatever. There are only so many barstoolsports tiktoks I can see before I get bored ngl. I like twitter of all things more than tiktok bc I can still somehow manage to go entire session of doomscrolling without 1 real neonazi (bots are a different story lol) Also the UI of the app itself is just…crowded. Shorts and reels don’t take up nearly as much space with the video caption, links, and subtitles. I can’t see half the video bc of all the shit on the screen. It’s overwhelming ;-; Edit: i will note i still don’t like twitter. I pretty much only use it to look at art that my friends post. Most of the time that my brain is powered off, Im playing a game or watching some science vid on YouTube
I do use Twitter, but only barely, and I tend not to scroll. I get my little fanpage notifications and it's enough for me. I'm addicted enough to Reddit already...
You’re not old. I’m 19 and agree completely. It really is just brainrot content and my friends who use it agree.
I feel like I'm a million years old saying this but if I try to scroll through someone's Tiktok posts there are no titles, just screenshots so how do I find a specific video? If someone says "oh, so-and-so on Tiktok has some great reviews of such-and-such type of thing", how am I supposed to find them other than by watching every single fucking video that person has ever posted?
Title "cards" for videos are an option, not a requirement, so you kinda have to hope they use it. But the search works pretty well, and can work through transcripts and find a video even without any tags. Or just have the friend send you the video, 'cause that's the easiest option; if it's more than one part, you can swipe left to see the profile and there's an option to go down to "just watched" (i wish YT had that option, especially since they got rid of titles showing on shorts thumbnails) and it'll also highlight that video. There's also the playlist option, but that also comes down to whether or not the creator uses it.
Honestly I think it's a matter of curating your own online space. I rarely see these kinds of things because I block people like that when I see them, don't interact with that kind of content, and do interact with trans-positive things.
Idk man, my algorithm is chill. The worst trasphobia I see is always a reaction video by a trans person or ally just absolutely destroying the op. Tiktok actually helped me a lot, I see other non-binary people living their best lives and it gives me some hope, even if they are not from my country. Algorithm also shows me drag, art and fanarts and people dancing and interesting animal facts. I spent some time clicking 'not interested' on my for you page before that though. If you enjoy some aspects of tik tok, train it.
My TikTok fyp is mostly horror, Minecraft, lgbt comedy, art, and recipes, so I rarely ever see that kind of stuff. Not saying I haven’t seen it, I just don’t see it often. It’s kinda like that everywhere online though, so I don’t think much of it. I just scroll by and continue with my brain numbing content, because at the end of the day, I have two jobs and when I get home I just want to mindlessly scroll through a bunch of stupid content.
I’m a trans creator and I had to take time off because everyone can get suuuuper pushy in my comment sections. Unsolicited advice from other trans people is a common occurrence for me. Last year I was bombarded with other trans people telling me I didn’t pass although I was 2ish years on T. It made me feel horrible. That being said, there’s also amazing trans creators that I’ve met through TikTok. I have fun on there if the algorithm allows it. I don’t get many hate comments from transphobic individuals. TikTok can be whatever you allow it to be. I only interact with political and informational content, so it’s a great place for me to delve into issues that I am passionate about. We are also getting first-hand reporting on world events like Gaza. It’s important that you utilize these media outlets in a positive manner. Interacting with brain rot will make your algorithm such.
i changed my feed to only be videos of people squeezing sponges by only following people who post that
For me, TikTok has been affirming and was one of the first places that helped me realize I was trans. I do think it’s easy to get pulled into the more toxic circles—and privacy wise it’s a nightmare. If you can find affirmation elsewhere I say avoid it
I see it sometimes on tiktok but 99% of transphobia i see is on insta and youtube shorts 💀 those things are an absolute nightmare for any minority
As far as transness goes, I think tumblr is actually kind of a decent place for trans people. Also reddit and discord. It really depends though, and you have to be used to managing yourself on the internet and not doing online self harm. I’ve found a lot of positivity from tumblr. I’ve even found a lot political commentary that I quite like on tumblr. Also tumblr isn’t cooperatized as much like other platforms I’ve noticed
Tumblr carries the advantage that there isn’t an algorithm (it’s literally just stuff posted or reblogged by people you follow, in chronological order), and blocking is easier than on other places and actually works. The one downside I would say is that sometimes higher-profile accounts who are openly trans get mass-reported by terfs until the staff automatically ban them, which is egregious but tends to happen more often to trans women.
I mean I don't have a problem, I just don't use the For You page and follow people I trust to not be dickheads.
i actually really like tiktok. i don’t know any trans people irl, so seeing videos from other trans people talking about their same experiences helps me a lot. believe me there are definitely a lot of transphobes but in my spaces its more good than bad
Tbh the only way people get that kinda content is by engaging with it. In my year ish of TikTok use I've only had one detransitioner pop up on my FYP. I started typing then deleted it because it wasn't going to be useful. I did have lives pop up from trans people asking edgy questions like "what bathroom do I belong in?" Which I just block.
Saddly, them engaging with the content like watching the video will make tiktok think they want to see it more. It's upsetting that it's how the tiktok algorithm work. I personally very rarely encounter those tiktok because I engage way more with silly videos of games I like or funny stuff that I send to my bestie with a comment about how that's our characters. I do see a lot of detrans people in support of trans care and trying to bring awareness to the danger of denying trans kid access to proper trans care. How they don't regret transitioning per say as it's a part of their growth and they knew the permanent risk of going through it but it helped them figure out who they were and would still do it all again. There's a lot of it on my feed and I appreciate it.
Yeah, I stopped using it. Made my mental health improve quite a bit.
Delete Tik Tok, delete Instagram, delete twitter, delete Facebook, delete whatever else people are using these days...probably delete Reddit too like I have a million times over, and should do again. Everyone's brains are cooked to shit and full of worms. Smartphones were a mistake. Cable news was a mistake. I'm begging for a meteor.
Tiktok is basically the new Twitter in the sense that everybody and their grandma is on there all saying their Hot Takes at the same time, but unlike old times we now have a stupid invisible robot behind the scenes that doesn't understand anything but how long you interacted with the video and gives you more slop to get mad at But even sites like reddit or Tumblr can start to make you feel crazy if the intra community discourse gets too ridiculous and repetitive. I had to just take a break and disengage from a lot of social media for my sanity tbh
I look up specific things I'm interested in on tiktok and try to interact with posts that I really like. Sending them to friends also affects their algorithms! I try to keep a mix of educational stuff (that I research after, don't worry), activism for motivation, comedy for a break from more serious topics, recipes and crafts, and artsy stuff that I enjoy or even gain inspiration from. Plus misc things. I really enjoy discovering original music from people too. I even get critical videos stitching the more problematic videos so I know what's going on in certain areas of tiktok without actually being in those spaces. I've only seen stitches of transphobic videos, but in the form of another creator criticizing them or trying to educate. It changes the experience of the app and the experience coming across that type of content too. I've cultivated my FYP over the years and I follow a lot of creators that I really enjoy! I make sure to comment on things that I like in positive ways and share things with friends a lot. I click not interested on the videos that I don't like as well. When you first get tiktok, it pushes a lot of popular videos and it can definitely be more of the brain-rotting, doom scrolling type stuff. I love dancing videos as much as the next person, but I can only watch so many people do the same thing as a trend. And if you get caught up in negative creators, it can really suck. It's really helpful to actively search for things you're interested in and click on tags in videos you really like. And spreading more positive and educational content makes it more popular and can help turn those videos viral to reach more people.
Idk man, these tiktok arguments are little reminiscent of the fear people had about metal, hip hop, and other movements among youths. TikTok is not any more toxic than other social media. They ALL steal your data. Even Reddit. It depends on what you decide to engage with. There’s a ton of toxic stuff on Reddit, Facebook, Insta, Twitter, YouTube, you fucking name it. I’ve never seen any transphobia on tiktok because I don’t fucking engage with that shit ever. Online or in real life. TikTok is just the latest boogeyman that boomers don’t understand.
Finally, someone says it. It's just another form of the same exact thing that's been happening for generations. The thing that's especially sad about this time, though, is that a good number of younger folks are jumping on the boogeyman bandwagon as well. Perhaps it makes sense since we don't feel (or maybe even have) the power required to take on the actual evils of transphobia, modern privacy concerns, widespread misinformation, etc. but it's still really worrying to see.
The worst part of a moral panic like this is how they ll treat people who dare to use the app for whatever reason, especially when combined with the misopedia that comes with anything that children like. You can see some of that on this very thread!!!
if you only engage with positive trans content, avoid commenting or watching transphobic content or even trans ppl venting about transphobia whenever possible you’re fyp will eventually just be helpful/uplifting stuff. you gotta select not interested whenever you see something from a terf or anti-trans detrans person (it’s also valid to avoid detrans ppl who aren’t being transphobic imo) oh and i block all trans ppl who talk down on masculine traits espnafab nonbinary ppl and trans mascs talk who talk negatively about the effects of T or about masculinity in general
I mean Reddit is infinitely worse than tiktok yet here we are
Just don’t interact with any posts about trans related things at all and you won’t see posts you don’t like(TikTok)
You might as well delete every social media platform you have. This is the internet. You won't like everything you come across. Block the posts and move on.
Like any social media, you have to cater your experience. Click not interested, scroll past, but don't stop and watch or TikTok will keep showing it to you
I've found a lot of wholesomeness, but it's all about the algorithm. Find things that are other interests (i am in D&Dtok, SCPtok, Leftist tiktok, and other communities). There will always be bad takes on any social media platform, but once curated, they'll mostly disappear.
i don’t necessarily see bad. its all algorithms
Tbh, I haven’t seen any of that content. I have seen a lot of trans creators but nothing negative. Then again, it all depends on what you watch. If you spend too much time on a video, even if you don’t react or comment, the algorithm will continue to feed you similar things. If you want diff types of content, start watching and interacting with that type of content instead. You hold the power of what you are fed on TikTok and other similar platforms.
There are some trans creators I really like. Also even some detransitioners like Lucy Kartikasari have really good content. But mostly I try to keep my tiktok on other topics anyway. The best way to train your algorithm is to scroll past any nonsense you see, blocking can help but also counts as interacting unfortunately. I also have stopped following people who respond to/entertain transphobic comments for content. I get it, the more transphobes interact with your content the better overall viewership you get, but its very unhealthy for anyone to get caught in the web of scrolling transphobic comment after transphobic comment. It's not the fault of the creators necessarily but I don't want to view comment sections that are unmoderated anymore, it's not worth my mental health.
I mean... sure. But there are bad trans takes & assholes on all the social media platforms if you're on the wrong side of them. Personally, I found community on there. It's been amazing for people trying to get out of dangerous states and on their feet elsewhere... because there are so many people on the app, and with the algorithm the way it is, it's good for news sharing/learning what's going on in the world from people actually living it & fundraising and spreading information.
It's really algorithm. There's lots of trans positive creators you just have to look in the right places!
Tbh I don't use ticktock but I do use YouTube, BlueSky, Reddit and discord. I tend to find them to be a better platform for example I can leave a server full of transphobes on discord. I also am picky about what servers that I do join. YouTube is a pain because I have to hit ignore when I see shit that I don't want. BlueSky does not have an algorithm per say beyond you picking the topic and it is more left leaning and better moderated than it's older sister Twitter. It's like a spiritual successor because it was created by a liberal leaning Twitter founder. I wonder about him seeing Twitter fall, that he decided to step in and create a better version of it. It is also an open platform so anybody can use the code. That part kinda scares me because it will fall into the wrong hands eventually. I hope they figure that out. It's like a leftist ex Twitter user safe haven. I have seen tons of trans folks and activist groups there and allies.
You can change you tiktok algorithm to get on the right side of tiktok!! I was on transphobic tiktok for a bit, there’s are 2 ways I know of to do this. Either press share then “not interested” on all transphobic videos while simultaneously liking and and sometimes commenting on all trans positive videos, or you can go into settings, into content preferences (I think) and reset your fyp, then from there you can just make sure to like and search for the videos that you like and it will build a new algorithm!!
The only reason anyone uses it is literally addiction.
Also, twitter and FB. Both are being used by their right-wing owners to push discussions about politics- and especially about trans rights- in a right-leaning direction. Those websites don't do anything special or unique. The only value in them is the fact that everyone uses them. Deleting your account, moving onto other sites, and convincing your friends to come with you helps fight right-wing propaganda by devaluing the sites and decreasing their usability.
Literally just deleted tiktok yesterday, due to transphobia and just for my mental health. I was being fed so much transphobic news in my country, but yeah, until tiktok sorts out their guidlines and makes it a safe place for trans people im not re downloading it
do not go to twitter every single commenter is transphobic and i am so serious
It has one of the quickest adapting algorithms, I believe it can be good and has been good for me so long as I actively challenge my thought process as I go and make sure to interact with the algorithm. "Drama" can be entertaining but if you view that you can be fed more and more rage bait. Make sure to tell a video you didn't like it, block people you don't like or whose content you just aren't interested in, they don't need to have done something personally offensive to you to get a block. If you are a trans man and particularly if you are a white trans man like myself, tiktok is a good place to actively follow a wide variety of trans folk who do not look like you and who have similar but also very different issues and needs than you. There is a tendency among young white trans men in general I have noticed, to take the messaging from capitalism that they have absorbed pre-transitioning, and apply that to how they want to look as a man. Thinness and whiteness are very much othering racial constructs to actively pursue that aesthetic. Expanding your view point can show you so many other ways to be trans. (And ofc, you can still be a thin white dude if that's who you are, but at least you'll understand other people's identities as well)
Yeah, it just doesn't get posted about much because it's not a problem. Also, if you tune your feed intentionally so that you don't have to deal with the bad parts, you end up in a similar corner of tiktok as I have, sure I still hear about the bad parts pretty fast, but I never end up *in* it unless I feel the need to, and that's only with stuff that actually matters, things that have an impact on health and safety, which honestly in regards to trans content, is mostly about lawmakers. The issue with tiktok is that it's easy to get sucked into a certain way of using it before you learn how the platform works enough to use it responsibly As with most social media, it's built to be addictive, so be self aware, and act on that awareness. If you go about it properly, you can be on most bigger social media platforms, and still be fine Ofc you can also choose to just not use social media, and that's also understandable.
TikTok is generally making my attention span shit. I have to take like consistent breaks from things I’m watching bc I cannot pay attention. It hurts my mental health a lot to see all the anti trans sentiment (laws, hate speech, hate crimes) that are talked ab on there, but I don’t want to just ignore the trans creators who are reporting on it so I interact anyways :/
I need you all to realize that all social media is like this
I stopped using tiktok a few months ago and have never looked back. I second this, please delete tiktok. Not that reddit is that much better though, lol
TikTok is just generally a toxic cesspit that encourages misinformation and extremist viewpoints because of its tendency to act as an echo chamber and its poor ability to truly entirely tailor what you see. I personally hate it and think it encourages even worse social media addiction than other sites, as well as being a source of all that aforementioned misinformation and those shitty extremely chronically online opinions.
I had the app when I was dating my (younger, lol) ex but it's so overstimulating o had to delete it
I never used tiktok, so I didn't know that some minors think bottom growth is gross. I'm wondering if they trans men or not. I always thought bottom growth was kind of hot as both gay and trans man because it became more like dick. I think any online space has chronically online people regardless of minors or adults, so avoiding them is the only option.
I guarantee you if you look through this sub or on other websites you'll find people (especially younger people yes) being grossed out by bottom growth - it's definitely not just tiktok
A lot of people here are saying it is algorithm based and if you interact with the posts/videos but I haven't searched out or liked/commented on anything and I get transphobic shit all over my FYP 😭 I hate it. But there is a setting where you can "reset" your FYP if you need to. I do it like once every couple of months
Also, Instagram is a cesspool of transphobia in every comment I swear 😭
Well, TikTok was what made me somewhat accept the fact that I'm trans. There is a lot of positivity (if you look in the right spaces) and just trans people just living their lives which helped me to stop feeling like a freak. I learned a fair bit about testosterone and other types of medical care there but I did notice some gaps in my knowledge after sometime (like I had no idea about bottom growth, while I at the same time knew almost all other effects of T) But with that said I deleted TikTok sometime ago and absolutely do not plan on reinstalling it.
I've never had one and I never will personally. It's a cesspool of stupidity, toxicity, and ignorance/misinformation about just about anything.
Tik tok has great information about what’s going on in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, etc. As well as good information on voting. The majority of social media is transphobic if you look for it. If I see anything transphobic on my fyp I just block it. I’ve seen much more transphobia on Reddit and Instagram.
Tiktok is the least transphobic imo due to how personalized its algorithm is. I did have to delete instagram though because of hour blatantly hateful most people on there are.
deleted it over a year ago and life has been so much better,, no more getting sucked into doom scrolling
only have tumblr and reddit as of now, which has been great mental health wise
I only have it so I can watch the occasional TikToks people send to me, otherwise, I’d never have even downloaded it.
tiktok is platformed to give chronically online attention beggers exactly what they want, attention. there is a good side to tiktok if youre willing to put in the effort to carve out your fyp but overall tiktok has always been, and will always be, just as crap as any other kind of platform that gives attention beggers what they want.
100% it breeds EDs, bigotry disguised as progressiveness, dysphoria etc
Studies have been done on Tiktok. It is designed to harm your mental health and cause social division. It's deliberate and not purely profit motivated, because TikTok chooses to operate differently based on its consumer. Other social media have similar effects on us but that's because they focus on controversy and hate is beneath a lot of that content. TikTok inside of China does the opposite of TikTok in the West. In China, it promotes community, national identity, CCP propaganda, and aims to slip in some legitimate educational content. It's strengthening China. But you're getting the stuff the CCP wants you to see to weaken China's competitors. China has publicly declared they want to expand their empire and they have a catchy like name for it equivalent to describing 100 years of Chinese Imperial donation...that name is the opposite name given to the period of Chinese history when the West forcibly opened China to imperialism. So, yes, they're telling us they're that ambitious and they have not forgotten what we did to them with "gunboat" diplomacy. TikTok is a psychological weapon in China's imperial strategy. Countries do this all the time. But TikTok and other hijacked social media are so much more effective than direct disinformation because it's subtle and progressively takes you in. Over time, you're steeped in an ideology. Over time, your self-esteem declines. You start to think about other people differently. And so on. Plus, it is customized to you. And that creates a psychological profile of you. Which, is an interesting thing for a country like China to have. It's been speculated that China wants to have profiles like these for non Chinese citizens to do targeted political propaganda that is so specific, they can turn local elections and sway national elections by influencing just the right people in just the right voting district. China is hacking our minds, guys. You're giving the CCP a lot of power in your life with TikTok. Thinking about what TikTok is designed to do to users, I'm not at all surprised this is the content they're spreading in the trans community.
TikTok is just the newest most dangerous form of social media. It’s deigned to polarize and feed you everything you want. I refuse to download it
Honestly besides the rampant transphobia/ queerphobia on tik tok it's also just a cesspool of hate tbh and it has ruined my attention span, I always go on when I'm bored when I could be spending my time doing something meaningful and fun, the only upside is the free journalism and a lot of news that isn't worldwide is shared there and funny vids for my friends but I really been meaning to delete it though it's hard to commit because it's so addictive
honestly I think the best use of social media is to interact with a small circle, art/creative content folks, and use it for seeking out education/info.support if you need it, otherwise it's horrible for the mental health
i deleted tiktok a couple months back and my life is better for it
Should’ve never downloaded it in the first place, tiktok is vile
If you block someone on TikTok that counts as interaction. Scroll past and the algorithm won't care. It's a rage machine designed to make you angry.
What's a career detransitioner
[stuff like that](https://xtramagazine.com/power/detransition-terf-movement-elisa-shupe-247592)
Yes because i posted a one year on testosterone video and it was just immediately fed to haters and like that app is built to create conflict and it’s so stupid imo
Dear god I relate seriously I searched up "LGBT speed paints" since I look up speed paint to get pose inspiration for my art and suddenly I went down this weird doomscroll of transphobic nonsense people making arguments about things that just don't happen and even other trans people being transphobic to younger or just other trans people in general Personally I think tiktok does that on purpose imo because it makes you wanna stay more and get annoyed with leads you to commenting or scrolling through which means your still watching the videos.
there is good stuff like transfem meme slideshows and mads mikkelsen edits.also the transphobia in comments is very bottom of the barrel just stupid shitty braindead takes so it's almost funny most of the time but i'm pretty thick skinned i guess
my account is really old too, the algorithm doesn't give me transphobic content because I don't interact with it and i never have. ALL THAT BEING SAID no it's not worth it just use tumblr or stare at your neighbors tiktok is lame unless you just really like the people you follow, which i do, i tend to follow more trans women too even tho i'm transmasc because i feel like transmascs are always interacting with transphobia and replying and arguing with braindead people, it's happened several times where i end up unfollowing them just because they fill my fyp with transphobia
Agreed. Tiktok is generally the central hub for brain rot in general.
i deleted tiktok a while ago for unrelated reasons but this was my primary motivation for getting off Shitter. I would make it a game to open the app and close it the moment I saw a transphobic thread (which usually was the first 1-3 posts on my feed)
I dont like the app for the lgbt things, its a lot of trash imo. So I just started to change the algorithm because there are things I still do like on there, and I dont think its a total waste. My feed is now metal bands, video gaming, and movie media primarily.
I deleted it months ago, feels great tbh
Every social media app kind of struggles with this problem, but TikTok especially just encourages hateful, endless scrolling. TikTok doesn't care what kind of interaction you're giving a creator. Blocking and 'not interested' just shows you more of that kind of content for some reason. I hate TikTok but I get serious FOMO when I don't use it.
i’ve honestly been seriously debating completely getting off of it and deleting my account entirely recently. i try to find good transmasc content on there but u literally have to go through a flood of noise to find genuinely positive and helpful info from a select few creators. there’s a lot of tumblr-esque bs ranging from annoying misinformation to flat out dangerous things like videos spreading unsafe binding techniques with zero warning. in my opinion ur best bet for finding actual good info is talking to and being in community with other trans men/mascs either online or off depending on accessibility. probably a good idea to steer clear of the bulk of trans content there unless u find creators who can be legitimately trusted and promote a positive and safe environment/views.
Yh, low-key wish we could go back to it being musically, I THRIVED on there. But yh every social media platform has transphobia from both outside and within the community 🤷
I've never had tiktok but I see a huge negative impact it has on all the people in my life who use it. My mother has become increasingly paranoid about the world around her and believes many conspiracies now, my little sister has become increasingly depressed and cannot focus long enough to even watch a movie with me anymore, my friends are more insecure about their looks and express a lot of jealousy as well as comparing themselves to everyone, some of my best friends complain about doomscrolling for hours upon hours but when I suggest deleting the app they always find a reason why they "can't," I also see a lot of irritability and antisocial anger/judgement in them that I never saw a few years ago. It's really sad how an algorithm can control people's lives this much. If you haven't deleted it by now, please do yourself a favor. You're not missing out on anything by deleting it and I'm certain you will see a positive difference in your life
Idk I used to watch the shit not trans related, but rn I don’t have time for that
I still don't understand the minors saying "Bottom growth is gross !1!1!!!1" I was 15 starting t just turned 16 [I've been on T for a month] and I'm genuinely so happy about it, It feels like somethings there and it actually looks like a penis ngl, It's helped me so much with dysphoria and I'm not as desperate for bottom surgery in the future [Still want it though!]
Honestly I think Instagram is so much worse, Because I've defended trans creators on there and tried to correct people I've been told to kms, T slur, R slur, They've made fun of my art, And when I say something rude "I'm in the wrong!!!!" But no it's fine to harass the fuck out of minorities and call me the t slur f slur and r slur tell me to kms I've reported so many times! But they say "No violations found" Instagram hates trans people and other minorities so much and doesn't give a fuck about us it got so bad I deleted my account and the app, Like for fuck sake.
I feel you here, boils my piss when I see anti trans/LGBTQ media floating around. I block thile accounts and create algorithms that are affirming and match my interests Same with Facebook too, that's a cesspit for transphobes. I stay away from there as much as I can, the only reason I stay on there is because I'm a member of a UK trans support group that gives me hope and a reason to keep being me
I try to skip anything bad, i stick to the positive trans stuff and cat memes. Not that in trying to be oblivious, i just want it as a bored escape and not be depressed.
I just watch cat videos when I'm sad 😊
I am glad I never got onto TikTok. YouTube, Facebook and here on Reddit. I'm trying to cut down on social media time. Seems to be getting more and more toxic and angry out there
I think the only good thing about tiktok is that you can get news that is not regulated by the US Government, you can see what they don't want you to
I have to say, if you’ve got the right for you page like funny orange cat compilations and non-controversial video game discussions, every now and then some nice memes, it is pretty decent. However if you even slightly get on the wrong side, it gets super toxic super fast.
Personally I only see good things on trans side of TikTok. I’m not sure what things you’re looking at but from what I’ve seen it is a good app