The influence of Tiktok edits

TikTok remains a diverse platform that caters to many different types of videos and tastes. One popular type is edits, which were established when the app began. An ‘edit’ is a compiled collection of videos and photos cut and pasted to specific music and accompanied by pulsating lights in a rhythm. TV shows and films are edited to highlight their emotional or comedic nature in a shortened form, and videos of celebrities in interviews and on red carpets are pasted together to showcase their most attractive looks. Not only does it cater to many demographics, but it remains difficult to define specifically. Nonetheless, edits as a medium have widespread effects on our mental processes and how we engage with wider content beyond the app.

Of course, ‘edits’ can be a force for good, and each one requires skill and patience to create. Editing TV shows into concise trailers that unexpectedly appear in an unsuspecting consumer’s feed introduces art to new audiences. Edits showcase an entire piece of the media’s emotional process and cinematographic style in seconds. Indeed, one well-crafted edit of a character inspired me to watch an eight-season TV show. It gave me a glimpse of an entire character arc in a 30-second video, timed to Olivia Rodrigo’s music. Providing romanticised snapshots of television shows, films, celebrities, and more allows people to experience new media for untapped audiences. Edits span multiple fanbases and bridge gaps between them, opening up new methods of interpretation.

The flashing lights, quick images, texts, and loud music create a total immersion, leaving little room to think

For example, placing Brat songs over edits to Succession or songs by The Weeknd over edits of Taylor Swift, helps to engage differing demographics simultaneously. It also passively exposes people to new media while they actively engage with their specific fan base. The creative opportunities in edits are endless.

However, despite this seemingly perfect method of introducing people to new media, edits can negatively impact our brains and rational thinking. By their very nature, edits are over-stimulating and excessive. Arguably, this is the appeal of an edit. The flashing lights, quick images, texts, and loud music create a total immersion, leaving little room to think. A quick Google search shows how the general population’s attention span has shrunk to around eight seconds and has been commonly attributed to social media usage. Edits condense so much content into one video to overstimulate the mind, undoubtedly adding to this psychological damage. The video’s speed and the audience’s overconsumption make them highly addictive, overwhelming you with content in a way that is not healthy when excessively watched.

As fun and harmless as something like an edit on TikTok may seem, the psychological effects have yet to be fully explored

Furthermore, edits seem to romanticise negative images due to their short form. For example, creating an edit for a fictional character includes their best and most attractive moments out of context to be enjoyed visually. This inevitably leads to an over-romanticisation of characters as their negative characteristics are systematically removed. Why watch an attractive character do something unsavoury when you can see them shirtless while listening to Sir Mix-A-Lot? This over-romanticisation and glamorisation of characters due to TikTok edits is exemplified in the new show Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. There is an edit of both the main characters who have murdered their parents, with 5.1 million likes on TikTok. The video depicts the brothers wearing suits, and swimming trunks, leaning against door frames and lounging on a boat. There is an implication in this type of video that the character’s actions can be ignored because of their attractiveness. I remember seeing one of these edits before I had heard of or watched the show, and it established a tone for the audience to focus on attractive men in the 1990s rather than on a representation of a murder and child sexual assault case.

As fun and harmless as something like an edit on TikTok may seem, the psychological effects have yet to be fully explored. Undeniably, they can introduce people to new fan bases and media with little effort. However, the nature of their rapid intensity and tendency to romanticise its subjects can swiftly lead to greater issues with broader attention and perception.