By Steven Symes 
Kia, a brand that in the past has a not-so-positive association with social media platform TikTok (thanks to an infamous challenge) apparently has a car configurator on the app. I only know this because the automaker put out a press release announcing it’s won some award.
A man’s brand new Ford F-150 randomly hits the brakes all the time.
Somehow I missed the announcement back on December 17 that the TikTok configurator was launching, probably thanks to the holidays. My initial kneejerk reaction upon learning this fact was to mock Kia, because after all, who the hell is going to play around with building a car on TikTok?
@alainbuii You ain’t ever seen a configurator like this before. #kiapartner Check out the Kia K4 Configurator today and build your own Kia K4. @Kia America #KiaK4 ♬ original sound – Alain Bui
Maybe that’s because I don’t use TikTok. I don’t have the app on my phone and don’t understand why so many people love the short little videos. To me the social media platform encourages short attention spans, kids performing ridiculous dances in public, and other nonsense.
But Kia definitely appeals to the youth, thanks in part to cheap prices but also all those garish, flamboyant designs. Keep in mind, a lot of these same kids think Pit Viper sunglasses and mullets are just the best.
In a way, this is a genius move. But it’s also sad commentary on where society is these days.
The Kia TikTok Creator Car Configurator, as it’s officially called, allows TikTok uses to play around with the different factory options for the 2025 K4 – that’s the brand’s new compact sedan. But it’s not your usual configurator with all the options laid out and that’s it.
No, the new generation has to be always entertained or they might die, literally. Kia sprinkles in “engaging video transitions” like cutscenes from some cheesy video game so the kids won’t just go onto the next video on the app.
That’s right, at least a large subset of youth these days can’t even sit still long enough to configure a car. Instead of trying to instill better values in these kids, we’re just going to cater to their lack of an attention span and try monetizing it.
I just want to know if someone can’t pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds unless they’re instantly entertained, how can these people drive on a stretch of rural road? How do they work most jobs? How do they function in life?
I guess as far as Kia’s concerned, the answer is the new K4 sedan. Lord help us all!
Image via Kia