As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact almost every aspect of the lives of people around the world, many people have turned to TikTok to distract themselves and avoid boredom while others use it to express their creativity.

Sophomore Hannah Rodriguez, who started using TikTok in July 2020, uses the social media app as both an outlet for expression and a cure for boredom. Rodriguez used Musical.ly when she was in sixth grade, and although TikTok and Musical.ly are very similar, Rodriguez has spent far more time on TikTok, mostly because of the pandemic.

“[I use TikTok] every day because I’m bored, and I just scroll through,” Rodriguez said. “It’s kind of an unhealthy amount, but I think [I use it] probably about three hours a day.”

While Rodriguez enjoys watching videos, she also posts on her account. Depending on how she feels, she generally makes new videos once or twice a week.

“I like to dance,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not a professional dancer – it’s just for fun. I like that [TikTok] is just people having fun.”

Although TikTok can be a place for people to relax and be happy, Rodriguez also believes the app, as with most social media, does have a negative side.

“I think that people do get unnecessary hate for stupid stuff,” Rodriguez said.

However, Rodriguez still enjoys using the app because the videos are short and easy to scroll through.

“I think that [TikTok] is better than YouTube because it’s fast and people nowadays have very little patience,” Rodriguez said.

As TikTok’s popularity has increased, especially among teenagers, many wonder how longer it will last. Rodriguez believes its popularity will fluctuate.

“I think that [TikTok] is going to continue to get popular, but I think it’s going to die down and then restart like Musical.ly did because people just get bored.”