Was the TikTok ban a power play by President Donald Trump or competitiveness that another country is dominating in our field?
TikTok is a social media app that allows people to show off creativity, feel seen in niche subjects and express freedom of speech.
TikTok is seen as a communication tool the younger generation relies more on the app than they do with other media outlets or news outlets.
The app was founded by a Chinese entrepreneur, Zhang Yiming, and the CEO is a Singaporean business executive, Shou Zi Chew.
The American government motioned TikTok as a national security threat and a vehicle for espionage, according to a Jan. 19 CBS article.
But the app allows you to talk about all of your ideas, lip-sync to famous audios and save your favorite edits.
It is fun, exciting and enjoyable to be on the app because the whole focus of the app is to be aligned to you.
The algorithm is fast and can get up to speed on your wants and needs for your entertainment.
The TikTok algorithm allows people to become viral very quickly compared to many other social media apps.
The app prioritizes content that is engaging to users rather than followers and popularity, according to an April 19 Agorapulse article.
Are all of these factors truly viewed as a vehicle for espionage? No, I see it as an excuse.
Lawmakers fear an app not owned by American businessmen would make it harder to push their agendas on the American people.
They are not able to push or force something on you, making it harder for them to push their ideas on you.
The ban showcases the disrespect the American government has towards the population in hopes we follow them blindly.
TikTok stumbled into the American people's hands and became the fastest-growing social media platform since 2020, according to a Jan. 22 Business of Apps article.
Users are under 20 years making TikTok have more Gen Z users than Instagram, according to a Jan. 21 Exploding Topics data set.
It was not surprising that Gen Z users looked to TikTok when it came to world problems because of its visual fast-paced platform.
On TikTok you can come across more small accounts, people who are doing something they love. Many users have stumbled upon small news accounts that report on anything from entertainment to politics.
This appeals more to the younger generation because they deem these smaller accounts more trustworthy than journalists working for bigger companies.
In 2020, President Trump advocated for a TikTok ban because it was a national security threat, according to a Jan. 19 AP News article.
When the conclusion came to ban TikTok in 2024, Trump started began advocating against the ban to fuel young Americans to vote for him.
Throughout his campaign, he promised to keep the app, according to a 2024, Nov. 12 PBS article. Making the TikTok ban was a way to manipulate the public, for voters, and for agendas to be pushed.
TikTok should not be banned in the United States because it goes against our rights to express ourselves, and the ban would only allow the American government to make us more vulnerable to their power.
