Today, our world is dependent on screens. With our scrolling, typing, and picture-taking, our thumbs are always busy.
Recently, the prospect of a TikTok ban threatened societal upheaval. While some people believe that the removal of this app from the country would have no effect, others see it as a sign of the world ending.
On the night of January 18th, TikTok became unavailable in the United States. The next morning, the world was transported into a frenzy as withdrawal symptoms began occurring. However, this chaos only lasted for about twelve hours. On Sunday, the app was reinstated with a message thanking President Trump for his “action” to bring TikTok back. The app’s life has been extended for 90 days, allowing a sigh of relief for teenagers across America.
The immediate hysterical attitude of many American citizens after this ban represents a problem in this country. Have “influencers” ever even stopped to consider the repercussions of TikTok?
For years, U.S. officials have been uneasy with ByteDance– the company that owns TikTok– and their connections to the Chinese government. They worry that the company could be gathering information on U.S. citizens and spreading misinformation about world events. The U.S. government had made many unsuccessful attempts to ban TikTok before, one attempt even made by President Trump himself in 2020, which was rejected by federal courts.
Although this momentary ban of TikTok caused many young citizens to feel hopeless, many others wish it could be banned again. Some teenagers, it seems, even have trouble recalling their lives before this app. As someone who has never had Tiktok, I cannot attest to its positive features. However, I understand the beauty of being able to see what fellow humans do and having a source of entertainment always waiting. I see how it can bring friends together with laughs from an amusing video.
On the other hand, I suspect some creators on the app take advantage of young viewers and their self-consciousness, depressing them with their seemingly perfect lives. The term “influencers” is something in itself that makes absolutely no sense. Society praises them for going to the mall and not spending any money, for flying a plane and sitting in coach instead of first class- trivial things that should mean nothing- but yet they do.
At the same time, there are creators who have done respectable things. Following the devastating wildfires in California, many have donated and made food for those in need. In certain circumstances, however, I find it is the ones who have the most who give the least.
What really is worrisome is the amount of control that TikTok has over people. We let ourselves be puppets on a string, pulled along by the distractions of our phones and the escapes that let us forget the hardships of our lives- escapes that are not easy to let go of. TikTok is an alternate world that people find comfort in. But it is hard to know how much harm this alternate world is really capable of.
