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Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced strict Covid-19 protocols and instituted hard lockdown measures in March of 2020, teenagers across South Africa have been hit by another type of pandemic: boredom. With uncertainty about the current state of affairs affecting everything from school attendance to hanging out with friends, teenagers did what they do best – use social media to entertain themselves.

TikTok is the most recent social media fad to sweep the nation. It offers hours of amusement for all; a creative outlet for some, and an opportunity to learn different things for others.

A Brief History of TikTok and Time-Passing

TikTok was first released to the public in 2017, after a successful launch in mainland China in September 2016 under the moniker Douyin. Upon merging with what is formerly known as a social media platform called Musical.ly on 2 August 2018, TikTok became a worldwide phenomenon that has been made available to over 150 markets in 75 languages.

TikTok in South Africa

According to studies conducted in 2020, TikTok had an estimated 6 million user database in South Africa alone. However, while its usage is mostly driven by a youthful market, lockdown has seen a surge of 25 – 44 age groups joining the platform, thereby increasing TikTok subscription from 6 million in 2020, to 9 million in 2021.

Disadvantages of TikTok

While TikTok has gained traction as a means for escape and mindless entertainment, it is not without its pitfalls and dangers. What could be regarded as a platform for harmless fun by some users can have devastating effects on others, ranging from plummeting self-esteem, exposure to age-inappropriate content and addiction.

Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced strict Covid-19 protocols and instituted hard lockdown measures in March of 2020, teenagers across South Africa have been hit by another type of pandemic: boredom. With uncertainty about the current state of affairs affecting everything from school attendance to hanging out with friends, teenagers did what they do best – use social media to entertain themselves.

TikTok is the most recent social media fad to sweep the nation. It offers hours of amusement for all; a creative outlet for some, and an opportunity to learn different things for others.

A Brief History of TikTok and Time-Passing

TikTok was first released to the public in 2017, after a successful launch in mainland China in September 2016 under the moniker Douyin. Upon merging with what is formerly known as a social media platform called Musical.ly on 2 August 2018, TikTok became a worldwide phenomenon that has been made available to over 150 markets in 75 languages.

TikTok in South Africa

According to studies conducted in 2020, TikTok had an estimated 6 million user database in South Africa alone. However, while its usage is mostly driven by a youthful market, lockdown has seen a surge of 25 – 44 age groups joining the platform, thereby increasing TikTok subscription from 6 million in 2020, to 9 million in 2021.

Disadvantages of TikTok

While TikTok has gained traction as a means for escape and mindless entertainment, it is not without its pitfalls and dangers. What could be regarded as a platform for harmless fun by some users can have devastating effects on others, ranging from plummeting self-esteem, exposure to age-inappropriate content and addiction.

Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced strict Covid-19 protocols and instituted hard lockdown measures in March of 2020, teenagers across South Africa have been hit by another type of pandemic: boredom. With uncertainty about the current state of affairs affecting everything from school attendance to hanging out with friends, teenagers did what they do best – use social media to entertain themselves.

TikTok is the most recent social media fad to sweep the nation. It offers hours of amusement for all; a creative outlet for some, and an opportunity to learn different things for others.

A Brief History of TikTok and Time-Passing

TikTok was first released to the public in 2017, after a successful launch in mainland China in September 2016 under the moniker Douyin. Upon merging with what is formerly known as a social media platform called Musical.ly on 2 August 2018, TikTok became a worldwide phenomenon that has been made available to over 150 markets in 75 languages.

TikTok in South Africa

According to studies conducted in 2020, TikTok had an estimated 6 million user database in South Africa alone. However, while its usage is mostly driven by a youthful market, lockdown has seen a surge of 25 – 44 age groups joining the platform, thereby increasing TikTok subscription from 6 million in 2020, to 9 million in 2021.

Disadvantages of TikTok

While TikTok has gained traction as a means for escape and mindless entertainment, it is not without its pitfalls and dangers. What could be regarded as a platform for harmless fun by some users can have devastating effects on others, ranging from plummeting self-esteem, exposure to age-inappropriate content and addiction.

Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced strict Covid-19 protocols and instituted hard lockdown measures in March of 2020, teenagers across South Africa have been hit by another type of pandemic: boredom. With uncertainty about the current state of affairs affecting everything from school attendance to hanging out with friends, teenagers did what they do best – use social media to entertain themselves.

TikTok is the most recent social media fad to sweep the nation. It offers hours of amusement for all; a creative outlet for some, and an opportunity to learn different things for others.

A Brief History of TikTok and Time-Passing

TikTok was first released to the public in 2017, after a successful launch in mainland China in September 2016 under the moniker Douyin. Upon merging with what is formerly known as a social media platform called Musical.ly on 2 August 2018, TikTok became a worldwide phenomenon that has been made available to over 150 markets in 75 languages.

TikTok in South Africa

According to studies conducted in 2020, TikTok had an estimated 6 million user database in South Africa alone. However, while its usage is mostly driven by a youthful market, lockdown has seen a surge of 25 – 44 age groups joining the platform, thereby increasing TikTok subscription from 6 million in 2020, to 9 million in 2021.

Disadvantages of TikTok

While TikTok has gained traction as a means for escape and mindless entertainment, it is not without its pitfalls and dangers. What could be regarded as a platform for harmless fun by some users can have devastating effects on others, ranging from plummeting self-esteem, exposure to age-inappropriate content and addiction.

As working hours began to decrease, leisure time became more and more critical. Leisure time was 'free time' that people could use for pleasure. More people began to have disposable incomes by the 1930s, so 'leisure industries' began to provide a range of options for people wanting to spend their money. These industries promised the hard-working British people spectacle, glamor, and fun.

Billy Butlin, Oswald Stoll, and Oscar Deutsch were three of the businessmen wanting to provide emerging leisure entertainment. Billy Butlin set up holiday camps for British families with great success. His first-holiday camp was built at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, in 1936. There, families were provided with accommodation, three meals a day, and entertainment, all in the same location. Oswald Stoll was famous for creating theater entertainment and establishing film studio production. He founded the Royal Variety Performance, still held today, and Stoll Pictures, a leading film studio of the silent film era. Oscar Deutsch was the father of the Odeon cinema group. These cinemas brought British films and Hollywood movies to ordinary people in 258 locations across the country.

People had spare money because of changes in employment laws. People also had more leisure time because, in 1939, a law was passed that every working person in the country was entitled to one week's paid holiday per year. Many people had not taken holidays before because they could not afford to; this created a revolution for businesses that provided entertainment and holidays. Also, in 1900 the average working week in Britain had been 54 hours. By the 1980s, this had become 39 hours. More and more people were able to spend less time working because their pay was able to stretch further and more quickly.

Popular leisure pursuits of the 20th century included trips to the cinema, fairgrounds, sporting, music events, and dance clubs. People would also listen to the radio, watch television, play with toys and games and use developing technologies. More people could travel further, safely, and cheaply in the 20th century. This also meant that eating out at exotic restaurants became popular entertainment.

As working hours began to decrease, leisure time became more and more critical. Leisure time was 'free time' that people could use for pleasure. More people began to have disposable incomes by the 1930s, so 'leisure industries' began to provide a range of options for people wanting to spend their money. These industries promised the hard-working British people spectacle, glamor, and fun.

Billy Butlin, Oswald Stoll, and Oscar Deutsch were three of the businessmen wanting to provide emerging leisure entertainment. Billy Butlin set up holiday camps for British families with great success. His first-holiday camp was built at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, in 1936. There, families were provided with accommodation, three meals a day, and entertainment, all in the same location. Oswald Stoll was famous for creating theater entertainment and establishing film studio production. He founded the Royal Variety Performance, still held today, and Stoll Pictures, a leading film studio of the silent film era. Oscar Deutsch was the father of the Odeon cinema group. These cinemas brought British films and Hollywood movies to ordinary people in 258 locations across the country.

People had spare money because of changes in employment laws. People also had more leisure time because, in 1939, a law was passed that every working person in the country was entitled to one week's paid holiday per year. Many people had not taken holidays before because they could not afford to; this created a revolution for businesses that provided entertainment and holidays. Also, in 1900 the average working week in Britain had been 54 hours. By the 1980s, this had become 39 hours. More and more people were able to spend less time working because their pay was able to stretch further and more quickly.

Popular leisure pursuits of the 20th century included trips to the cinema, fairgrounds, sporting, music events, and dance clubs. People would also listen to the radio, watch television, play with toys and games and use developing technologies. More people could travel further, safely, and cheaply in the 20th century. This also meant that eating out at exotic restaurants became popular entertainment.

As working hours began to decrease, leisure time became more and more critical. Leisure time was 'free time' that people could use for pleasure. More people began to have disposable incomes by the 1930s, so 'leisure industries' began to provide a range of options for people wanting to spend their money. These industries promised the hard-working British people spectacle, glamor, and fun.

Billy Butlin, Oswald Stoll, and Oscar Deutsch were three of the businessmen wanting to provide emerging leisure entertainment. Billy Butlin set up holiday camps for British families with great success. His first-holiday camp was built at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, in 1936. There, families were provided with accommodation, three meals a day, and entertainment, all in the same location. Oswald Stoll was famous for creating theater entertainment and establishing film studio production. He founded the Royal Variety Performance, still held today, and Stoll Pictures, a leading film studio of the silent film era. Oscar Deutsch was the father of the Odeon cinema group. These cinemas brought British films and Hollywood movies to ordinary people in 258 locations across the country.

People had spare money because of changes in employment laws. People also had more leisure time because, in 1939, a law was passed that every working person in the country was entitled to one week's paid holiday per year. Many people had not taken holidays before because they could not afford to; this created a revolution for businesses that provided entertainment and holidays. Also, in 1900 the average working week in Britain had been 54 hours. By the 1980s, this had become 39 hours. More and more people were able to spend less time working because their pay was able to stretch further and more quickly.

Popular leisure pursuits of the 20th century included trips to the cinema, fairgrounds, sporting, music events, and dance clubs. People would also listen to the radio, watch television, play with toys and games and use developing technologies. More people could travel further, safely, and cheaply in the 20th century. This also meant that eating out at exotic restaurants became popular entertainment.

As working hours began to decrease, leisure time became more and more critical. Leisure time was 'free time' that people could use for pleasure. More people began to have disposable incomes by the 1930s, so 'leisure industries' began to provide a range of options for people wanting to spend their money. These industries promised the hard-working British people spectacle, glamor, and fun.

Billy Butlin, Oswald Stoll, and Oscar Deutsch were three of the businessmen wanting to provide emerging leisure entertainment. Billy Butlin set up holiday camps for British families with great success. His first-holiday camp was built at Ingoldmells, near Skegness, in 1936. There, families were provided with accommodation, three meals a day, and entertainment, all in the same location. Oswald Stoll was famous for creating theater entertainment and establishing film studio production. He founded the Royal Variety Performance, still held today, and Stoll Pictures, a leading film studio of the silent film era. Oscar Deutsch was the father of the Odeon cinema group. These cinemas brought British films and Hollywood movies to ordinary people in 258 locations across the country.

People had spare money because of changes in employment laws. People also had more leisure time because, in 1939, a law was passed that every working person in the country was entitled to one week's paid holiday per year. Many people had not taken holidays before because they could not afford to; this created a revolution for businesses that provided entertainment and holidays. Also, in 1900 the average working week in Britain had been 54 hours. By the 1980s, this had become 39 hours. More and more people were able to spend less time working because their pay was able to stretch further and more quickly.

Popular leisure pursuits of the 20th century included trips to the cinema, fairgrounds, sporting, music events, and dance clubs. People would also listen to the radio, watch television, play with toys and games and use developing technologies. More people could travel further, safely, and cheaply in the 20th century. This also meant that eating out at exotic restaurants became popular entertainment.