Like most college-aged people, I am an avid TikTok user. I can confidently say it is the app I spend the most time on. Frankly, I do not even want to think about how much time I spend on TikTok. As rumors began swirling, I knew that a TikTok ban would be devastating to me. Yes, I mindlessly scroll through my For You Page, who doesn’t? But the app means a lot to me, more than just a time-consuming social media. TikTok has been with me my entire Bates journey and I have used it as a digital diary of my college years thus far.
College acceptance videos tend to go viral and I knew I wanted my fifteen minutes. Don’t blame me. I wanted to connect with future classmates of mine who might see the video and hope that the girl who posted it might be a familiar face on campus or even a potential friend. So, on Dec. 11, 2021, I opened my acceptance letter from Bates while recording myself. Despite putting in the wrong password at first and some teary eyes, I decided to post the video.
In the following hours, days and months I was flooded with comments from my soon-to-be peers. Many were along the lines of “See you in the fall,” “I just got in too,” and plenty of congratulatory messages. I was overwhelmed with how kind everyone was, making me all the more excited to start college. When I arrived a few months later, lots of people asked if I was the “TikTok girl” to which I awkwardly responded affirmatively.
My TikTok and my Bates journey continued alongside one another. I took short video clips everywhere I went. Much of my content during my first year surrounded my dorm, both the view from my Parker fourth-floor window and the decorations I hung up. As we neared the spring, I began doing more vlog-style videos around campus and Maine. My final video of that year showed my decorated dorm in one clip and the bare walls and empty furniture. As of this month, it has 60,000 views and around 6,500 likes.
In my first year, my content was focused on my surroundings, mainly the place I was in. I was so excited to be in a new location and showing it off was something I wanted to do. My videos reflected the growth I had done in that year. I made friends, lived on my own, and became a part of a new community. All of this was documented through the 9×16 screen.
During my sophomore year, my content had those elements but became much more about my personal experience, life at Bates and my friends. My dorm remained a staple of my page, and so did the view from my new window in Mitchell House.
Last year, I began working with the Bates Alumni social media team, specifically making TikToks. The passion I have for this school and creating Bates-related content crossed paths. I still posted on my account, but filming with purpose and intention was a new challenge, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. This direct connection between TikTok and Bates underscored why the app means so much to me. I am able to create content not merely for fun but also to solidify my hobby into something I not only get paid for but also work for a Bates-specific audience.
At the end of my sophomore year, I posted another dorm transition video which is currently my most viewed TikTok. It has 133,000 views and around 20,000 likes. The appreciation that the video received felt akin to the happiness I felt during my second year at Bates. During my junior year, I have continued to make videos, some of which have racked up views in the tens of thousands.
This was accompanied by current Batesies telling me that they would see my posts. One of my AESOPers this year said she told people, “You will never guess who led my hiking trip, it was the TikTok influencer.”
This is not meant to be self-promotion, but rather me showing the impact TikTok has had on my life and the community in which I find myself a part. And in no way do I feel like an influencer. I wish a video of mine would “blow up,” but the day has not yet arrived. Let the record show that if the ban was longer than 10 hours, I would have been fine. We all would.
The more I post, the more comments I get from prospective students. I have been asked about high school statistics, how I liked the school and the different aspects of life at Bates. I always responded and followed up by letting the commenter know that I was happy to answer more questions. This sometimes meant TikTok and Instagram messages, some of which led to long conversations.
I love the ability to give my pitch for Bates. It brings me immense joy when I get comments from people saying that they applied or were accepted.
The TikTok ban threatened my leisure, but more importantly, it threatened the scrapbook of moments I have curated throughout my Bates journey. If the app had been banned, it would have taken away an opportunity for prospective students to comment and ask questions, or to see what life here is like.
My TikTok videos allow me to relive my favorite moments from college. I feel nostalgia for memories that are less than three years old. When I rewatch my videos, I often get a bit emotional. They are a physical reminder of the joy I experienced and the equally powerful sadness I feel for the times I will never return to. They are a digital version of growth marks in a door frame.
