Screen Time Tik Tok

photo by David Miller

SCREENS: BLESSING OR CURSE?

by Justin Bollich, staff writer The amount of time young people spend on electronic devices is a concern for older generations. However, this really isn’t anything new. Concern over inventions like TV and radio have always been a topic of debate between old and young. For example, in a debate (Jack Woodford v James Harbord, on radio) in 1929, this was said by Jack Woodford, a writer of pulp fiction and caustic commentary on the times said. “But radio, God’s great gift to man, eliminated that last dangerous chance for Satan to find mischief for idle hands. There is now very little danger that Americans will resort to the vice of thinking,” Similar arguments happen about the Internet all the time, Which to me seems absurd considering that the Internet is the sum of all human knowledge, and while i believe it will surely be seen as a positive in the future, one thing that is a bit of a personal annoyance is children with electronics. The kind of kids you see at a restaurant or in Walmart, with a big tablet with a massive orange case, watching paw patrol or something. I understand that exposure to technology is necessary to an extent, but giving a full smartphone to children shouldn’t happen until the kid is 10-12, depending on the child’s maturity. I also believe that information online should be able to be kept private, even as a minor. Overall, there are certainly positives and negatives for both sides of the argument, and I’m sure it will continue for future generations with new technology we couldn’t even imagine today.

TIKTOK: WHAT’S ALL THE TALK ABOUT?

by Madison McMurphey, staff writer Tik Tok is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. The app is for 13 years old and up to use, but sometimes younger kids like to use the app as well. The most popular part of Tik Tok is its trends and getting verification. The top “Tik Toker” is Charli D’Amelio with 103.6 million followers. She is famous for Tik Tok dancing.One dance, called the Renegade, created by Jalaiah Harmon, greatly increased her following. Next, Addison Rae, with a following of 51.3 million , after doing a Tik Tok with her mom, she gained her fame. Spencer X, with 50.2 million fans, gained popularity from beatboxing. At CMR, Tik Tok has bloomed with popularity over the last two years. CMR junior Hanna Mckeag likes the two-sentence horror stories. They write a sentence that is fine at first, and the second sentence illustrates to the point where it makes them both scary. ‘’It’s like ‘I saw my mom in the kitchen last night. She’s been dead for three years,’ Like that but usually better,’’ Mckeag said. Tik Tok is an easy hobby and it’s easy to get clout, but what makes the app so good. ‘’The people who use it tend to try to share with others what they do. You can find out so much about many different cultures,” Mckeag said. Freshman Maddie Schmidt uses Tik Tok to mostly escape her surroundings. She thinks Tik Tok is a good app for many things, including helping others. ‘’It’s a good way to spread awareness for people and organizations that need help along with being a good source of entertainment,” Schmidt said.