One late night a few months ago, when I was trying, but failing, to fall asleep, I did something that, to me—a forty-year old Instagram dinosaur—was unthinkable: I opened up TikTok and began to scroll.

I first downloaded the app in the fall of 2019. I was on a solo trip to Puglia in the off season, and between rainy days at Masseria Moroseta and quiet drives along the coast of Italy’s southern heel during a stay at Palazzo Daniele, the platform was my lone source of digital entertainment. At the time, it was the lip synching videos, catchy trends that relied on a visual punchline, and the overall newness of the app that piqued my interest. I also found the app to be highly addictive, to the point that I decided my mental health, ability to be present on my European travels, and sleep were in peril. Over the next few months, I posted a handful of videos, but TikTok consumption petered out. In the years since, I’ve done my best to keep tabs on the most noteworthy aspects of the app, especially considering my role as the founder of a social media talent agency. But I didn’t invest personally—until now. Over the last few months, I’ve become re-obsessed with content like deadpan housewife comedy and vlogging that incorporates spoken word and performance art.

Admittedly, my renewed interest dovetails with an increasing lack of enthusiasm for Instagram. While the OG social media app will still remain my first love—not to mention my bread and butter—I’ve become a bit disenchanted with what it has become. And it’s hard hard to say what that is exactly. With a constantly-expanding portfolio of features, like Notes and Group Profiles—not to mention poorly designed algorithms which push bottom-of-the-barrel Reels content—the app is no longer recognizable as the chronological, one-photo-at-a-time, quiet-slice-of-life portal that I fell in love with. Last week, the head of Instagram, Adam Moseri, took to the platform to say some very vague things about what the app is for: this includes “inspiring people to be creative” and “helping people discover new things they love.”

The irony is that inspiration and discovery are exactly what make TikTok so powerful. The app is also highly entertaining, informative, and allows anyone—regardless of following—to reach a massive audience. Case in point: a recent TikTok video I posted features a holiday tablescape my boyfriend and I created for my mom over Christmas. I have fewer than ten thousand followers on TikTok, and yet the video—all shot on iPhone, edited into loose, quick cuts in the app—has reached over 200k people.

None of this is news to most of us, and by many counts, I’m late to the game (just ask some of the talent on my roster whose followings have ballooned to nearly 1 million during my absence). And I’m doing my best to temper my late-night social media habits with reasonable restrictions. But the fact that I’ve found a renewed sense of joy in sharing everyday moments right from my iPhone shows that TikTok has officially joined the canon of my go-to iPhone apps. And it looks like I probably won’t stop scrolling any time soon.

Favorite links this week

WHAT TO WATCH IN 2023

I don’t spend a lot of time watching movies, but Vogue’s list of the 10 most anticipated films of the year makes me want to change that. From Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to a Hunger Games prequel to The Color Purple starring Taraji P. Henson and Ciara, I might need to tune in.

QUIET QUITTING

The idea of “quiet quitting,” not quitting your job but choosing to stop over-achieving in the workplace, went viral on TikTok this summer. It begged the question, Is this the answer to work-life balance? Now, The New Yorker is evaluating society’s reaction to the phenomenon.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

With a menu that’s over 20 pages long and gaudy interiors inspired by ancient Egypt and the Tuscan countryside, The Cheesecake Factory defies every rule of restaurant success. And yet, its 211 locations are popular and profitable. Here, Vox breaks down the anatomy of the beloved chain.

DINING AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER

Developer Tishman Speyer, owner of NYC’s iconic Rockefeller Center, has been on a years-long mission to bring downtown-cool culinary talent to the midtown hub, and the question was whether or not it would work.

I’ve followed along over the last year as teams behind a handful of beloved—and critically approved—restaurants have opened doors at the legendary landmark. And with a recent stamp of approval from the New York Times food critic Pete Wells, it seems success is in hand. Now that the throngs of holiday tourists are gone, it’s the perfect time to check them out.

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