it takes a village: TikTok diagnostics

"It takes a village to raise a child."

And it takes a village to nurture a human. 

We don't stop growing when we become adults, and we don't stop needing our village at any point in our lives. 

The internet has become the 'village' for many people. Our in-person circles dwindle as we live more dispersed from our natal homes, and our online circles have necessarily become more robust. 

As health care becomes more difficult to obtain, we reach out to our village for alternatives. 

This is how TikTok becomes a diagnostic indicator. It's an organic development of human behavior that is, I think, overall a useful phenomenon. 

Yes, some will clasp onto any label whether it really fits them or not... because we are, after all, human. And humans need connections. We need to know our own labels because they tell us how we fit in our social worlds. We'll seek out labels in order to find connections. So if someone clasps onto a label that maybe isn't quite right... so what? It's part of their journey. Hopefully they'll keep searching and amend their labels as they learn more. That's all anyone is doing. 

So if you have a beef against people using TikTok to understand themselves better, especially in this climate of pay-to-play health care... maybe you should try to change the climate, rather than scold those who are just looking for shelter. 

(Wanna hear this read out loud? It's on my TikTok. )