The TikTok ban just went into effect right before Trump’s inauguration. I can’t think of a worse punishment for so many Trump supporters who have used TikTok to have a voice and celebrate their love for Trump for so long for it to shut down right now. After all they’ve been through, why now?
I assumed that was the main reason the government was worried. They couldn’t control the message, and the Democrats don’t have any control over viral content. They can’t force TikTok to tweak the algorithm in their favor. But it’s more likely to do with their fears about China using it to spy on Americans. I know that. But the timing is tragic.
It also fills me with rage that YouTube and META benefit from a TikTok ban, and I can’t help but think they have something to do with this. Perhaps it’s paranoid. I have never found an app that doesn’t manipulate the algorithm and doesn’t try to push the user in a certain direction. It simply gives you more of what you want. Elon Musk has implemented a similar algorithm on X but it is not as personable as TikTok.
It’s not the American way to shut down a better product. The American way is to build a better one. They have not done that. Sorry but that’s just the truth. TikTok is the best social media app ever invented. No, kids should not use it. Yes, it should be age-limited. But for adults? It’s an entire economy. It’s entertainment. It’s a way to connect to other people. It’s invaluable.
Not everyone uses Facebook, X, or YouTube. Some people find those apps too complicated or limiting. But TikTok gives them a voice. After the hurricane in North Carolina, TikTok was the only way people could get the news out. It’s also how people in rural states earn a living.
Like this woman and her pig Homer.
But it’s even worse for Trump supporters since so many of them used the app to have a voice and to connect with so many other users across the country. TikTok helped MAGA rewrite the narrative. The Trump dance only went viral because of TikTok. The “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats” story never became a damaging narrative to Trump because TikTok quickly made it a popular meme.
I understand why the Democrats want to ban it. I don’t understand why so many Conservatives do. What’s next, banning X?
For his part, Trump has said he will delay the ban for 90 days, but he can’t do that until he’s sworn in. But now, there is no way to share all of the footage from the inauguration in real-time. We can watch it on YouTube, but it’s not the same thing. At least Rand Paul is speaking out:
I understand many of you reading this won’t care that much, or maybe you’re glad it’s being banned. But how chilling of a thought that they could silence so many Americans just like that.
Now, millions of Americans won’t get to celebrate the way they would have in the coming days. It just isn’t fair to do that to millions of people.
I have compiled as many of the Trump dance videos as possible before they shut it down. I’ll post those tomorrow with a podcast. See you then.
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