Written by: Alexis Dewey
Ryan Tedder, a songwriter who has written for Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, One Republic and others, shared how songs these days become hits in an interview with ctznzmusic on TikTok.
“Ninety-nine percent of all hits are now generated or reinforced by TikTok,”he said.
Tedder continued to explain that you can’t write a good song and have it become a hit without the influence of TikTok anymore. Your song has to go viral on the app if you want to succeed.
With the influence TikTok has on society these days, we need to be careful with how much we consume and pay attention to the type of content we are absorbing.
If you are on TikTok, or even Instagram, you may have heard of the newest social media-famous phenomenon called “girl dinner.” This phrase has taken over the internet.
Olivia Mahar, a content creator from California, posted a video sharing her meal that she pieced together from different snacks and leftovers, calling it her “girl dinner.” Now, people have hopped on the trend and are making videos about the unique meals they are eating and calling it “girl dinner.”
Girl dinner is now widely considered a “meal” in which a girl will just eat an array of snacks and call it dinner. The snack items chosen are normally random and odd foods, such as cheetos, fruit and pickles. TikTok now has a sound that people use over their videos when they are displaying their “girl dinner.”
Nutritionists, however, don’t seem to approve of this new trend. Rebecca Ditkoff, a registered dietitian, said during an interview with Women’s Health that the part of the trend that can be the most damaging is the “comparison of plates.” Ditkoff also said the fact it’s called “girl dinner” can support a negative idea that girls should be eating less.
“Promoting [these meals] as ‘girl dinner’ gives the impression that women need to have smaller portions or a special kind of meal compared to men,” said Mackenzie Burgess, registered dietitian nutritionist, in an interview with Health. “This can lead women to have unhealthy body image concerns and increase the risk for eating disorders.”
Mahar had good intentions with her video. During an interview with Women’s Health, Mahar shared, “I just get to enjoy exactly what I want and the bits of everything I want to have.”
Her goal was to create an idea that encourages intuitive eating and allows people to see that having healthy habits is not always glamorous.
Growing up with the rise of social media, I agree that the media has affected the way people think about food. There always seems to be a new “diet” trend that everyone must try. Whether it be keto, vegan, plant-based or a liquid diet, the internet will make you believe it’s the healthiest choice out there.
As I see it, though, diets are not healthy. Not a single one. Bouncing from diet to diet is not good for you, physically or mentally. People need to stop being so concerned about their diet and start caring about their lifestyle choices. Diets come and go, lifestyles last, well, for your lifetime. Don’t eat healthy for two weeks because you’re “on a diet.” Eat healthy because you want to be healthy and you care about your body.
Alva Johnson, communication professor at Southern Adventist University, explained in a class last semester that a person’s physical body shape or size are not their greatest asset, but instead it’s their mind. You should care more about what your body does for you and how you fuel it rather than how it looks.