I didn’t realize how much I depended on TikTok until it vanished for 12 hours. Those hours felt like an eternity, especially with a 10 hour shift ahead of me. My coworker had called out sick, leaving me alone to handle everything, and the realization that I’d have no entertainment or escape all day hit me hard.
By the time I left my house, I was already unraveling. When I discovered my bus wouldn’t arrive in time, a stranger approached and asked if I needed a ride. Under normal circumstances, the answer would’ve been a firm no.
But desperate times call for desperate measures, and my sense of logic along with every “don’t talk to strangers” warning I’d ever heard flew out the window.
So, there I was, sitting in a stranger’s car, questioning my own sanity. As if reading my mind, he broke the silence with, “Is this weird?” I gave him a half laugh and replied, “Kind of.” His name was Henry, and he was surprisingly good at diffusing the awkwardness. He made jokes, reassured me he wasn’t a creep, and even offered his thoughts on the TikTok ban. “Don’t worry,” he said confidently.
“Your current president’s a fan. It’ll be back before you know it.”
Henry turned out to be harmless, and our conversation was light enough to keep my nerves at bay. But I don’t recommend taking rides from strangers my decision-making skills were clearly at an all-time low.
When I finally arrived at work, the misery wasn’t over. A line of impatient customers was already waiting outside, and my shift was every bit as exhausting as I feared it would be. But then, during a brief moment of reprieve, my phone buzzed.
A text from my friend: “TikTok is back. They played us.”
I stared at the screen, processing the words, before jumping up in excitement. The only social media platform I actually cared about wasn’t gone for good. Henry had been right TikTok wasn’t ready to let me go, and I wasn’t ready to let go of it either.
Looking back, I’m still baffled by my choices that day. But if nothing else, I learned two things: don’t underestimate the power of boredom, and maybe, just maybe, keep a book in your bag for emergencies.
