TikTok Cure
Depression is more than just feelings of sadness, it is debilitating, dark, and a time filled with sorrow. Having depression makes a victim feel like a puppet on a string; not allowing them to eat, bathe, or attend work or school. It is common to feel sorrow, but depression amplifies these feelings, causing one to feel as though they are drowning. In extreme cases, depression can lead to suicidal thoughts or actions, causing the sufferer to harm oneself or even end ones life due to the extreme sadness which encapsulates their every move.
It is of critical importance that each person who may be struggling with depression gets necessary help through therapy, or another positive outlet which they feel comfortable indulging in to cope with the enervating life depressive thoughts force to take shape. When consulting the correct form of therapy, each individual is able to move past the trapping depressive state and resume normal behaviors and life activities. The outlet in which one chooses to consult may differ depending on the person. While some people choose to turn to a therapist, close friend or family member, others choose to find a group in which they relate to on social media that provides the sufferer with a group to serve as their rock during that period of time.
Throughout history, the stigma behind mental health, more importantly depression, has changed dramatically from generation to generation. While some generations considered any depressive or sorrowful feelings to be a hoax, others found them to be extremely important. Within recent years, the concept of a “mental health day” from school or work in order to cure the depressive episode one may be suffering from at the time has been normalized. Not only has the mindset and acceptance level regarding depression changed over time, the way in which sufferers choose to cope with their sadness does as well. Several decades ago, the mood disorder would have been overlooked and those who had fallen into the deep dark hole of depression would have been told to “toughen up”, at least those of whom chose to make their sadness known. Within recent years, the awareness of the struggle of individuals suffering from depression has been on the up and up, creating additional resources for those who need them to overcome the weight depression is placing on their shoulders. Through more resources have becoming available, sufferers now have numerous options to choose from when attempting to cope with depressive thoughts and emotions. Some choose to attend regularly scheduled therapy sessions, whereas others turn to online communities made up of members who share their same struggle and sorrow to find relief.
With the continuous expansion of the power and popularity of social mediums, teens feel the need to spend more time on them. Sources claim that TikTok can serve as an addiction for teens, increasing levels of depression by seeing the unrealistic “perfect lives” of content creators. In reality, teens experience joy and happiness, by finding other teens similar to themselves, going through a dark time. Despite having a harsh reputation, TikTok serves as a space for creators to share their testimonies which will aid their followers with their own struggles. With the help of content creators sharing their encounter with darkness which is depression, awareness is able to be spread throughout the platform, reaching those who need it most. Opposite to the perceptions of others, TikTok does not divide users, but rather brings them together through posts which are relatable to the masses, allowing for communities to be formed.
The TikTok algorithm contains a component similar to therapy, as it caters to the interest of the viewer, and what they find to be most interesting and helpful for their experience with the app. With this as a built-in feature of the app since its creation, some users may turn to the online platform to cure their depression, rather than a therapist or another form. Through the help of the creators on the app, the users are able to gain strategies which will help them overcome the grueling feelings of their depression, which contribute to the recovery of the individual. With the guidance and first hand experience of the creator, who may be an age close to that of a viewer, who went through the same or similar struggles, it allows the short video of the creator to serve as therapy for the depressed user. If the user feels extremely impacted by the advice and first hand account of the content creator who struggled with depression, then they may continue to reference and follow along with that specific creator’s journey within the recovery of depression, providing consistent relief for the now follower of the content. In extreme cases, one may even comment on a video or message a creator to speak more about the way in which they may have coped with their depression and lack of motivation, allowing them to form a community and find a friend and confidant on the app which serves as their theoretical therapy. Through the comment section on videos, a user may find others who have struggled with their battle with depression, allowing the community to consistently grow, reaching a larger audience who will be impacted by the testimonies of others.
References
Avella, H. (2023). “TikTok ≠ therapy”: Mediating mental health and algorithmic mood disorders. New Media & Society, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221147284Tang X, Ding X and Zhou Z. (2023).
Towards Equitable Online Participation: A Case of Older Adult Content Creators’ Role Transition on Short-form Video Sharing Platforms. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. 7:CSCW2. (1-22). Online publication date: 28-Sep-2023.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
Here’s Advance Feedback on Rhetoric that you can use when you’re confident of your Argument. Your paragraphs are unpopulated. They’re purportedly about people suffering depression, but they sound like descriptions of a philosophical proposition. Let’s see if we can get some people into your language.
—As social media gain popularity, more teens feel pressured into spending time on them.
—Sources claim that heavy users of TikTok suffer depression from viewing what content creators pretend are realistic portrayals of their “perfect lives.”
—But in reality, teens experience joy and happiness by connecting with others who, like them, are coping with dark times.
—Those troubled teens find the kinship of shared experience in videos posted by other teens who have also battled adversity and deep depression.
—Despite its reputation, TikTok is a platform where healing can occur when the confessions of their content creators resonate with their followers.
—TikTok doesn’t divide; its videos create community among viewers and content creators with shared experiences.
Please note there are NO PASSIVE VERBS in the revised sentences.
Also, the subjects of the sentences are always either the teens, the content creators, or TikTok itself—never “expansion,” or “awareness,” to cite two of your own subjects.
Does it still sound academic? I think so, but who cares? Is it clear and direct? You tell me.
Does this help as Rhetorical advice?
I think it sounds academic while being clear and direct, thank you so much. I will work on this soon, then ask for continued feedback!
After revisions, you’ve got a couple hundred words left over for citations, examples, illustrations, anecdotal evidence, additional arguments.
Is there anything missing from the shorter paragraph?
As social media gain popularity, more teens feel pressured into spending time on them. Sources claim that heavy users of TikTok suffer depression from viewing what content creators pretend are realistic portrayals of their “perfect lives.” But in reality, teens experience joy and happiness by connecting with others who, like them, are coping with dark times. Those troubled teens find the kinship of shared experience in videos posted by other teens who have also battled adversity and deep depression. Despite its reputation, TikTok is a platform where healing can occur when the confessions of their content creators resonate with their followers. TikTok doesn’t divide; its videos create community among viewers and content creators with shared experiences.
There should be a “s” on the end of “gain” in the first sentence. The paragraph lacks any new information, as it is extremely repetitive.
Agreed, except about social medias. Believe it or not, the singular for media is medium. TV is a medium, so is radio, so are the social media. See the difference? Not mediums, but media. So, when we say social media are gaining popularity, we would have said social mediums are gaining popularity. There’s no such thing as social medias. That would be like womens. 🙂
I was going to use peoples as an example, but that’s even more complex. The singular is person, the plural is people. But there are times persons is appropriate, and if we think of all the ethnic groups of a country as The X people, the Y people, and the Z people, we can correctly refer to the peoples of that country: indigenous peoples, the peoples of the world.
Thank you for the feedback, I am fixing it now!
Put this back into Feedback Please for more advice and a regrade when you’ve made substantial improvements. 🙂
I tried to revise, but I’m stuck on what to do next. I feel like I can’t cut things out without it ruining my work and I’m at a road block. I put this here for now, but I may revisit as I continue to think about it. If you have any additional guidance, I would really appreciate it. I know the changes weren’t substantial, but I’m not sure what else to do.
Let’s start that process at 10am.
Sunflower, I think you’re “going for a sound” when you write for a writing class. For the most part, you achieve it, but it doesn’t help you communicate. Let’s just start with your Introduction.
Notice that three of your four sentences start with a long adverbial dependent clause (While some people may consider / When having no motivation to eat / When a person is feeling). In each case, you delay getting to the point. Your fourth sentence starts not with an adverbial clause but with an adverbial phrase, and it buries the suicide in the second half of the sentence and euphemizes it as “end one’s life.”
You seem to not be eager to make your claims. If you don’t command your space, no reader will find anything to react to. Once they stop caring what you say, they move on, and you persuade no one.
—Depression is more than just the sadness we all feel sometimes when we surrender to our deep and dark feelings.
—Depression plays its victims like a puppet on a string; it doesn’t let them eat, sleep, or bathe; it locks them in the house; it makes them absent at school or work, and everywhere else in their lives.
—We all know sorrow. Depression drowns it victims in sorrow.
—Up to 60% of people who die by suicide have major depression.
You don’t have to write like me, Sunflower, but if you ask me how you can cut your work down to a lean persuasive machine, I want you to look again and see what your 3rd sentence added to the 2nd sentence.
I completely agree with this approach and will make the edits. I really appreciate this feedback and found it to be very helpful.
I’ve seen improvements to the first paragraph.