A TikTok user called out the social media platform for too many sponsored ads.
Several TikTokers have been complaining about this issue to the point where some are considering turning away from the platform altogether.
A 40-second video by Macie (@marciestorm1) is sparking a lot of debate around how social media users are tired of seeing endless sponsored ads on the app that are trying to sell their products. In the video, Macie talks about how she's frustrated that capitalism is at work on the platform.
@marciestorm1 Tik tok has gotten so bad with these advertisements sometimes i get 3 in a row #fyp #tiktok #toomanyads #enoughisenough ♬ original sound - Macie
"The other day, clicked on something about an oil diffuser in the shop for your car, and now that's every other video. Is TikTok trying to sell it to me?" she explains. "I don't need to be sold something, TikTok — I need to be entertained."
Another user, tiktokpj, satirized how he keeps running into Temu ads on TikTok when thinking he's coming across a normal slideshow.
@tiktokpj is it just me? these mf temu ads are driving me crazy
♬ original sound - MichaelSoEpic
And data backs up the complaints of more sponsored content appearing on the social platform. During an experiment, around one-third of the thousand videos Business Insider viewed on TikTok had ads.
So when did this start? In 2023, the social media platform introduced affiliate content that directs links to TikTok shops on the app. Creators who choose to promote products are given commissions based on sales they generate by linking the goods to their videos. This encourages them to speak highly of products at the same time.
While advertising is understandable and necessary to support most online media and social media platforms, the pervasiveness of those ads is a fine balance and can veer too far into oversaturation and a fostering of overconsumption.
When those ads are often for companies that do not support sustainable manufacturing processes (among other concerns) and instead promote fast fashion, consumerism, and general impulse purchasing, the problem goes from an annoying one for users to an actual societal problem that contributes to more carbon pollution and, in turn, climate change.
Some TikTokers feel this has completely changed the user experience for the worse, leading to the demise of carefree video scrolling as a pastime.
In the comments section of Macie's post, one user voiced her frustration about too many ads that appear, writing: "I started counting and it's literally every 3 videos. If anything, it makes me not want to buy out of spite."
Another TikToker wrote how the experience on the app is just different, stating: "I swear every scroll is TikTok shop, sponsored ad, or live. I can't even enjoy it anymore."
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