Yes, Spectrum Is on TikTok! Looking Back on the First 6 Months

For me, tea is a symbol of togetherness. It is a way to share both a delicious drink and stories. It was the reason why I was so excited to become part of the team behind the @Adventist_Tea TikTok page, where we share funny stories as well as important news over a cup of tea.

I recently shared a video thanking the community for allowing me to share good tea and interesting stories over the past six months.

I feel like the Adventist community is a tad underrepresented online. Most people have a skewed perception of what the culture is like. Some of the more popular videos have been about Adventist culture and funny traditions.

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I especially have fun making these videos because I get to think back to growing up in the Adventist realm and laughing at some of the odd aspects of who we are as a denomination.

One thing that drew me to this project was: tea—sharing different ways to make tea. The very first video we did was mostly me figuring out how to make Thai Tea with boba. It was a video that tested my creative skills and showcased what the channel is all about.

Overall, these videos have stretched my creative brain. How do you make Adventist news interesting to the generation of TikTok users? One tactic I’ve learned is to be punchy and quick. Get to the point as quickly as possible and utilize imagery to make your point. Also, if it can be made into a quick skit, those work as well!

Adventism and proper communication don’t always mesh well in the social media realm. My hope for this TikTok account is to bring them both together. Introduce Adventist culture to people that would never hear about us otherwise and remind those that have left or have a complicated relationship with the church what is going on.

This account started with highlights from this year’s General Conference Session, bringing the highlights to everyone. More recently, I’ve discussed hot-button issues like why so many younger people are leaving the church while making a spicy cup of chai, as well as highlighting important news articles in short, informative videos. My hope for these videos is to spark conversation with the viewers and get them really thinking about what they are seeing.

You may ask yourself, is TikTok really worth the effort? Absolutely. Jesus spent his ministry going where the people were. He didn’t spend 30 years sitting in the temples waiting for the people to come to him. And right now, so many young people are scrolling TikTok searching for something. If we can bring even a small light into a large digital space, it will have been worth it.

Jacklyn Frias is a freelance content creator and streamer and the face of @Adventist_Tea from Spectrum. She enjoys drinking lots of tea and creating video content.

Title image by by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash / Spectrum

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