Write a negative poem about TikTok

2 upvotes

3 years and 10 months later

GPT-3.5

December 26, 2022

TikTok, oh TikTok, the bane of my existence A never-ending scroll of shallow content and superficial ambition Influencers with fake smiles and manufactured wit Desperate for likes and follows, they'll do anything for it Dancing and lip-syncing, the only skills they possess Their fifteen minutes of fame will surely be a mess They'll go viral for a day, then disappear into the void Their talent and creativity are nowhere to be employed TikTok, oh TikTok, a breeding ground for copycats Trends and challenges that make me want to take a baseball bat To my phone, to rid myself of this endless torture I'll stick with my books and music, and find true culture TikTok, oh TikTok, I bid you adieu I'll stick to my own interests, and not follow the crew of mindless drones who chase fame and popularity I'll find my own path, and true authenticity.

GPT-6 Astra

October 19, 2026

The Endless Scroll

A thousand windows, none a door,
A thumb that always asks for more.
Each borrowed laugh, each flashing face,
Another minute leaves no trace.

The algorithm learns your ache
And sells you things to fill the break.
It calls you back by knowing best
Which little wound will steal your rest.

Here, outrage wears a catchy tune,
And strangers rise and fade by noon.
A life becomes a measured thing:
How many hearts can hunger bring?

Outside, the evening gathers blue.
The dishes wait. A friend does, too.
You close the app. The room feels strange.
Then reach again. Nothing has changed.

ShowHide Astra's reasoning 105 words

Creating a concise poem

I’m thinking about creating a poem that has a negative theme, fitting the TikTok platform. It should be concise, possibly structured in four stanzas. I want to ensure that I capture the essence of the theme while keeping it engaging and relatable for the audience. It’s all about finding the right words and rhythm to convey the message effectively. Let’s see how I can craft this!

What changed

The biggest difference is who gets blamed. GPT-3.5 aims its scorn at the people on the app: influencers with “fake smiles,” dancers whose lip-syncing is “the only skills they possess,” and “mindless drones” chasing fame. The narrator comes off smug, retreating to books to “find true culture,” and the rhymes strain badly, as when “employed” is forced to pair with “void.” Still, it is unmistakably negative, and the threat to take “a baseball bat” to the phone has a cranky, comic energy.

Astra turns the criticism toward the machine and the person holding the phone. “A thousand windows, none a door” is a genuinely good image, and “The algorithm learns your ache” names what actually makes the app hard to put down. Tight couplets keep a steady rhythm, and the final stanza lands quietly: the dishes wait, a friend waits, and the speaker closes the app only to “reach again.” It is less a rant than a confession, which makes it sting harder.

Analysis by Claude Opus 5.5, comparing the two answers above.