Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

I’m all for a good doomscroll, and I love bed rotting as much as the next girl. In the rotation of apps I use to waste my time, TikTok is a constant and a staple.

I used to predominantly consume what I deemed genuine content: cooking videos or cute animals or even brain rot that was admittedly stupid yet deeply captivating.

“The level of skill it takes to go viral on TikTok is undeniably much lower than what talent acquisition looks for in real life. An author might have decades of experience writing books, but a girl pumps out one viral hockey smut novella on TikTok and is suddenly signed to a legitimate publisher.”

Though, for the past couple of years, it didn’t matter how stupid TikTok content became. To me and many others, that was always the expectation; TikTok provided mindless content that distracted from the stress of daily life. It also remained relatively self-contained back before our parents discovered old trends on Instagram Reels, so who cares if the app has some brain rot now and then?

But as the platform develops, TikTok continues to integrate itself more deeply into mainstream popular culture. Many creators who gained fame on TikTok have transitioned off the app and into a job in their chosen field. They have movies, autobiographies and perfume lines. They’re making guest appearances on cable TV, speaking on famous podcasts and debuting makeup brands.

In part, this is a large success. TikTok is an accessible platform where — unlike in Hollywood — money and nepotism are not needed to initially gain a following. However, the issue starts when becoming viral on TikTok is held to the same talent standard as rising to stardom in real life.

The level of skill it takes to go viral on TikTok is undeniably much lower than what talent acquisition looks for in real life. An author might have decades of experience writing books, but a girl pumps out one viral hockey smut novella on TikTok and is suddenly signed to a legitimate publisher. A professionally trained ballerina downloads the app to promote herself, but a tutorial on how to throw it in a circle earns triple the payout.

Because the TikTok algorithm does not inherently value experience or professionalism over sheer popularity, a professional and a novice can end up equally famous on the same platform. This wouldn’t be an issue if it were contained to TikTok, but as mentioned earlier, many TikTok influencers transition out of the app and into Hollywood, thus reaching similar destinations by very different means. So suddenly, Addison Rae and Patrick Dempsey are starring in a blockbuster movie together.

If all TikTok creators with recognizable names and large followings share the same spaces as professionals in their respective fields, it devalues the time, specialization and possibly even a degree that most need to reach respectability. In other words, a TikTok creator — say Charli D’Amelio — can go viral overnight and become famous in a week, but it might take a Juilliard dancer decades to reach the same popularity.

It’s not as though TikTok lacks talent entirely — to reiterate, some incredible creators have received deserved recognition on the app and wouldn’t have gained fame otherwise. But when an algorithm with entirely random virality becomes mixed into real life, a mixing pot of skill levels all become equally labeled as talented. In reality, there is much more nuance required to analyze the varying degrees of talent.

Reach Emma Souza at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @_emmasouza.