my tiktok feed is cooked

TikTok is the New TV, Just Way Dumber

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In Today’s Newsletter—

• I break down my TikTok feed guilty pleasures

• Muse on the importance of media diets

• and explore the hate watch feedback loop that can poison our brains

• Reveal the creators I LOVE

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5AM, NYC—

My alarm goes off and I swing my arm over to turn it off and grab my phone, nearly knocking over the lamp in the process.

I read a study years ago that says you shouldn’t look at your phone for the first 30 minutes you’re awake.

Experts say the stream of conscious thoughts you get after waking can be incredibly creative.

Everyday I remember that study, and everyday I ignore it and blast my eyes with the harshest phone screen light possible and open up my email, X, Instagram, and… TikTok.

The videos I see on my feed lately are truly bewildering, but its so early I barely notice how strange they are—

“Its a double chunk chocolate cookie!”

“Can I get a tour of your apartment?”

“What do you do for a living?”

“This is the best place to get an Aperol Spritz in the West Village”

As someone who (even though its embarrassing) highly curates their stream of content to be as aesthetic and creatively nurturing as possible, I find my TikTok feed so strange because it feels like its literally making me dumber with each passing second.

I was walking yesterday and I thought to myself, "Why do I know so much about people on TikTok I care so little about?” And I dawned upon me that the algorithm that curates our TikTok feeds is often less motivated by what we really like and is too often informed by a behavior we all do… the hate watch.

The Hate Watch

Its nothing new.

I am sure since the advent of cave paintings, newspapers, radio, TV, and now social media people have been consuming content they don’t really like, just because its too hard to look away.

Like a train crash, we can get too morbidly curious.

Whether that’s watching videos from creators you genuinely can’t stand, or just watching because its so fascinatingly different than your own life— we all hate watch to some extent.

But with the algorithms that curate our stream of content, the hate watch can get dangerous, turning into a never ending feedback loop that keeps serving us content that just passes time, and leaves us with the same empty feeling you’d get after eating a sleeve of golden Oreos.

Fast forward, and you find yourself walking down the street thinking about what World of T Shirts is up to, despite how tragic you find the videos. Or knowing who ‘The Rizzler’ is.

But its just too strange to look away.

TV But Dumber

Last year, I was reading an interview with Adam Faze in

Rachel Karten

’s Link in Bio newsletter.

Faze runs Gymnasium, a TikTok focused content studio behind hit series like ‘Boy Room’ and the contest show ‘Bodega Run’

One of the key tenants of Faze’s strategy for short form video is to treat TikTok like TV.

This parallel really struck me when I was binging old episodes of Fear Factor. Every episode has the exact same format: stunt challenge to start the show and introduce the contestants, a disgusting food challenge often filled with bugs and maggots, and a high wire stunt challenge to finish things off and declare for which contestant fear was not a factor.

Every binge-able TV premise works this exact same way. They find a format that works, and repeat season after season.

Short form video is not much different. Faze hits on something crucial in that interview—

RK: How would you describe your social media philosophy?

AF: 1. If I hadn’t made this, would I watch it? 2. Keep it simple, stupid. I see so many brands overdoing videos—too much editing, too high of budgets, too much going on—when in reality, if you pulled all the layers back and focused on the message, it’d have a higher change of resonating with someone.

The TikTok creators (or brands) that breakthrough the ride the algorithm to success are the ones that do not worry about aesthetic perfection, high budgets, or reinventing the wheel each video; rather its the creators who peel back the layers, simplify, and repeat consistently who hit virality.

Kareem Rahma

’s Subway Takes is another show that does this so well, and feels like the new version of TV.

And if my feed is very much like TV in that sense, but way dumber.

Revealing All

For transparency’s sake, I want to unveil some of the TikTok creators I can’t seem to escape on my feed lately.

These are the videos I don’t get anything of value from (educationally, aesthetically, etc.) but can’t seem to escape on my feed.

Unveiling this twisted feed is not easy for me—

AJ & Big Justice

What began as a father and son visiting Costco has morphed into an expansive universe of friends and relatives, all dubbed with nicknames like ‘The Rizzler’ and ‘Cousin Angelo’

@a.j.befumoGive Me My Money‼️ #givememymoney #justgivememymoney #father #son #family #fun #bigjustice #boom @The Makeshift Project @ItzTheRizzler @Cousin Angelo

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Trucker Interviews

This is a recent addition, but I keep getting these videos of truckers being interviewed about their routes, tips for drivers, and how ‘soft’ the new generation of truckers is.

@merdzictransReplying to @Jared “They got soft handssss” 👉🏼🤚🏼 #softhands #oldschool #truckdriver #trucker #cdldriver #truckersoftiktok #companydriver #owneroperator

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The Tarlov

IDK who this guy is. He just walks around in big Jorts and does funny sh*t.

@thetarlovdinner #aesthetic #steak #mediumrare

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Parkwood Deli

This deli owner documents him making sandwiches in New Jersey.

@parkwooddeliLA beast is coming to take down this MONSTER! (Going live at 2:00) #parkwood #parkwooddeli #roger #food #njeats #nj #fypシ #EatFreshRefresh #xyzbca #f

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These series (and many others) are like a guilty pleasure. A fascinating look into lives I’ll never live, that provide me nothing of value than a cheap escape from doing actual work.

I need to know what questionable TikTok videos are on your feed that don’t fit in with your typical content stream or aesthetic. Some people love chiropractor videos, others pimple popping videos. What’s on yours?

Content I Actually Love

Since recognizing that the our feeds do have a palpable effect on our brain, I am trying to retrain my algorithm to only show me content that I genuinely like and get value from.

Here are some of the creators I love—

Oren John

Incredible creative director giving tips on brand building and design.

@orenmeetsworldPublic domain content is currently scattered across the internet, lost in Flickr libraries and difficult-to-search museum databases, if it’s findable at all. The Cosmos team released Public Work to curate high-quality public domain assets into an organized home, making these assets easier to access and use for creatives. #creativedirector #designtools #designtips

Tiktok failed to load.

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Emma Apple Chozick

Friend of Who Do You Know? and brand collaboration consultant/Architectural Digest contributor, Emma provides insights on aesthetic interiors and brand family trees.

@gr8collabAway brand family tree. The brand was launched in 2016 by Jen Rubio and Steph Korey who met when they both were working at Warby Parker. Former Away employees covered here include: Ben Almeter, founder of Dispatch PR agency (Away’s first PR hire), Dianna Cohen, founder of @Crown Affair, Sho Shibuya, Founder of Placeholder, Babba Rivera, founder of Ceremonia, Ben McCormick, founder of Create Wellness, & Sam Naparstek, cofounder of Rocco. #greenscreen #fyp #brands #awayluggage #away #jenrubio #crownaffair #ceremonia #gr8collab #parade #marketing #pr #familytree

Tiktok failed to load.

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Joe Petro

My friend Joe makes great videos on fitness and nutrition.

@joepetro_I try not to count calories. Ps. I put whey protein isolate in the oats & the yogurt bowl #healthyliving #whatieatianday #hybridtraining #gymtok #healthyeating #fitnesstips

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Shovel.Studio

This guy provides tips and tools for designers.

@shovel.studio#toolsofthetrade Websites that designers can use for their work :) #designtok #usefulwebsites #marketingtools #graphicdesign

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Now I’m also curious, who are your favorite creators? Why do you like their content?

Retraining the Feeds

A carefully planned media diet is really the secret to staying inspired as a creative. And as Rick Rubin makes the case in 2024’s best-selling coffee table book no one’s ever actually opened (I did when I was on vacation) we are all creatives to some degree.

I use Cosmos (prev. Are.na/Pinterest) to archive visual references, categorizing everything into distinct folders when I need them.

Why not apply that same curatorial nature to my X, Instagram, or TikTok feed?

I am freeing myself of the shackles of the hate watch, and ensuring I only get content that truly inspires me.

And I think we all would be better doing so. Swipe away from your guilty pleasure content that numbs you… and spend that time getting inspired (or working)

If the saying, “Our lives are how we spend each day” is true, then its also true that our TikTok feeds dictate them as well.

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Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, designer, and writer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content strategy, creative direction, business development, and making things cool.

Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio