Emerly Lee – Week 9: tic...tok...It's 2 AM
It’s 2 AM and after a long day of school and work you’ve found yourself doom scrolling for the past hour with no intention to stop. This is the reality of millions of Americans, whether it be Youtube Shorts or Instagram reels or, most likely, Tik Tok, these specifically catered short form videos have become highly addictive and easily consumable in the last few years. As such, with these platforms, Tik Tok especially, have opened the gates for millions of Americans to start businesses, create original and relatable content, and inform, or misinform, others all through word of mouth.
Yet in recent events, the US government has decided that a Tik Tok ban is what is most important to current legislation. The reason being…China. The US government has long been speculating that Tik Tok specifically, has been saving and selling data of American users' to China, in such creating a “national security threat.” However, it is not the “national security threat” that is angering Americans, rather it is the blatant hypocrisy of the government, knowing full well that large platforms like Meta and Google are also selling user data. And when it comes down to China Americans feel that banning Tik Tok is not a favor for the Americans, but rather one for themselves.
Now as the reality is settling in, Americans have begun arguing that the US government is abusing their power and directly violating the Constitution by infringing on free speech. Despite that, Americans refuse to allow the US government to dictate them as they see fit, so in the last few days many have banded together on Tik Tok in retaliation. Through word of mouth, Americans have gathered to retaliate and have downloaded an app called Little Red Book, an app known for its similarity to Tik Tok and for being an app directly controlled by the Chinese government. In the words of many Tik Tok users, if China wants their data they would gladly hand it over.
Deeply rooted in American culture, this retaliation has shown to be a slap in the face to the government as Americans show time and time again that free speech is no force to be reckoned with.
Hello, Emerly! I found your blog quite informative, and honestly I have heard a lot of recent comments from people I know about how TikTok does not seem to have a threat on America. One of my friend had commented on the fact that they steal your personal data and content with "I know other apps do it too" indicating other websites and apps which can possibly sell your data. I agree that it is not the "national security threat" as you mentioned in your blog, that is disturbing Americans, it is the fact that they are not allowed to use an app despite their willingness to do it. By using the "freedom of speech" phrase many of them want to undo the ban categorizing their will to use it as a their freedom to use the app. Many Americans have even switched on other applications which are similar to TikTok, like you said "Little Red Book" showing that Americans don't really mind what the government's main reason is but rather want what they want. Anyway, I truly enjoyed reading your blog and I hope to read more of them throughout this semester!
ReplyDeleteHello, Emerly! I loved the information that you included in this blog, as well as public reactions to the ban. I recognize that many people our age do not see the threat it has on American society. It is curious to me as to why they decided to ban Tiktok in particular, since it is known that most if not all social media apps gather data from their users. Many have speculated that this is because America is trying to limit Americans' freedom of speech, which you mentioned. Overall, this blog was extremely informative and interesting to read, keep it up!
ReplyDelete