I remember when the app musical.ly came out. My young daughter got it. I saw what she did on it, and it was cute and all. But over time, my concerns grew. I got on the app and used it periodically. I didn’t like some of the content.
Then it changed to TikTok. I swear it was designed to throw content at you based on what it thought you wanted to see—not what you actually wanted to see. A few of the trends shared with me genuinely terrified me, and I asked my daughter to stop using the app because TikTok is the Devil!
Recently, someone at work showed me a trending video they were using for a project. It really surprised me, and I thought, I could do that for work. So I downloaded TikTok and started making a few videos. It only took a few days for me to realize this was not for me.
I had to endlessly scroll to find trends. There was so much “meh” or just plain bad content. To me, it wasn’t worth it, and I felt I received no value from it—not even for work.
So, I tried something else. Could I do something for the Worthy of Zion website? Could I draw people to these messages? I posted a few messages. They did well. Then I posted a few more. They did well, too. Next thing you know, it’s been about 2 to 3 weeks, and I have almost 1,000 followers and over 9,000 views.
As I scroll through the content, I like almost every pro-LDS post. Current algorithms make it so my feed is almost exclusively LDS-related. There have been so many things I’ve truly enjoyed.
The thing that surprised me the most was that a fair number of people came out of the woodwork to blast me with opposing views to the Church. I’m not looking for a fight, nor do I have any desire to get into confrontational situations or bashing arguments.
That said, I started engaging with some of them—standing up for my beliefs. Through all of this, I’ve felt words enter my mind and my heart that are foundational to my beliefs and testimony. I’m not an apologist, nor am I an academic or a debater. It’s not in my character. I fear stammering through a confrontation and not being able to recall anything. Yet, as I have spoken, I’ve spoken boldly and confidently—and I’ve felt peace in doing so.
I have loved the experience, and it has filled me with great joy.
NOTE: Would I let me kids on it, NO! My younger kids may never get Social Media. Or at least until they are 21, ha ha ha.