The Important Components of LC4MP, and How it Applies to TikTok Videos.

The first thing to consider in this theory is that motivation plays a big role in how we can process a stimulus, and it also shows us what we find important or insignificant. Motivated processing is divided into appetitive and defensive motivational systems, which either hinders or enhances the processing of the stimulus. A positive stimulus such as food, video games, and anything one may find to be pleasant, will cause higher levels of processing in memory processing and encoding.

On the other hand, the defensive motivational system is switched on when viewing a potentially threatening stimulus, and memory and encoding is hindered allowing for a fight or flight response. The brain essentially shuts down and the individual is forced to respond to danger to ensure their safety. Similarly, the aversive system is activated when facing an unpleasant stimulus, but not necessarily a dangerous one. This may include long textbook readings and being forced to watch the terrible acting in your grandmother's soap operas.

If poor and over dramatic acting is something that you may find to be comedic, then the clip above would have triggered your appetitive motivational system, and likely caused a giggle. If you found that clip to be cringey like most people would, your aversive system would be activated.

But if you're anything like me, and watching that cringe to the point of wanting to click away immediately, then both of our defensive motivation systems are operating the way they should be.

The other important element is memory and is categorized into short and long-term memory, which is self-explanatory, but there's also rapid encoding of flexible associations, and slow encoding of rigid associations. Rapid encoding is contingent with the different motivational systems, whether it be appetitive, defensive, or aversive, and the stimulus will cause the brain to have a certain response (reward, threat, boredom). Slow encoding of rigid associations is what creates a solidified connection between a stimulant and a response.

Watching a few TikTok videos can activate the appetitive motivation system to create a positive response, enabling the rapid encoding of flexible associations to release a reward-like response in the brain. The slow encoding of rigid associations will then make a positive association to watching TikTok's, making us do so for extended periods of time.

One may believe that this is harmless, but it is proven that an overwhelming amount of information can cause memory impairments including issues with encoding, storing, and retrieving memories, and a malfunction in activating a specific motivational system. The overconsumption of these short videos overstimulates the brain to the point of no longer allowing us to have an emotional response to them.

In essence, when our brains get used to watching media where the content can change at the swipe of a finger, it gradually starts to get more and more difficult to sit through your favorite TV shows and movies (Fisher & Weber, 2020).

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/946f8c_aee5c55bae1d489faf5290d9dc905cde/480p/mp4/file.mp4