TikTok can be an entertaining place to escape and zone out after a long day at work. However, oftentimes, it can also be a harmful one.
Without realizing it, we absorb negative, sometimes false messaging from the content we consume regularly. For example, let’s consider your daily routines. Maybe you wake up to your alarm and immediately scroll TikTok before actually getting out of bed. Or perhaps you waste hours on the app before bed when you could be sneaking in some extra sleep. Nevertheless, you’re feeding your brain so much information that you might not even stop to ask yourself: Is this content even factual?
This is especially true when it comes to dating content—a widely discussed topic on TikTok.
TikTok and the Rise of ‘Dating Experts’
Many TikTokers position themselves as experts in whatever community or niche they’re trying to appeal to. These days, all you have to do is self-identify as a dating guru for people to aimlessly follow your advice. You don’t need real credentials—just a strong, confident voice—to gain a platform.
“Anyone can go online and give advice when it comes to any subject, but that doesn’t mean they are correct,” says Angelika Koch, MCLC, CRC, of LGBTQ+ dating app Taimi. “Many of the videos we see online now are filled with toxic information given by unhealed people who need to feel seen and validated, so they create a video voicing their opinion in a convincing way. This advice can damage your current relationships as well as damage potential future relationships.”
Of course, giving advice based on personal experience is not necessarily a negative thing. I mean, if these TikTokers spent their time in the dating trenches like the rest of us, they might have valuable information to share. But at the same time, who is to say someone knows your dating life better than you do?
TikTok’s Harmful Impact on Dating
In addition to all the conflicting dating advice we hear on TikTok, there are countless “dating story times,” detailing horrific woes that would make anyone want to delete the apps and never trust another person again.
That begs the question: Is this content actually helpful, or are we just fueling the narrative that “everyone sucks; you’re better off alone”?
According to Koch, “Dating TikTok trends can increase insecurity and trust when it comes to relationships because many of them highlight negative experiences.”
So, how can you tell if you’re being heavily influenced by this content?
“If you start seeing red flags in everyone and genuinely believe there are no good people in the dating world, then it’s time to take a step back from social media and focus on healing,” Koch advises. “Pushing good people away before giving them a chance, always being someone who acts like they care less to maintain control, and refusing to make any effort while expecting to be treated like royalty are all signs that you are self-sabotaging your love life.”
The post TikTok Dating Experts Are Ruining Your Love Life appeared first on VICE.
