Tiktok users rejoice as they receive the great news that the app is here to stay, for now. The app was set to be banned in the US last Sunday, September 20th. However, a negotiated agreement was settled before any action could be done. Now Tiktok must follow these conditions if they want to continue doing business in the US market. As an avid TikTok user myself, it is music to my ears to know that the app will not be banned. To gain an understanding of how this all began and why this has caused such a huge uproar, It’s important to know how TikTok became one of the fastest-growing and most popular apps being used today.
What is Tiktok?
A small backstory on how Tiktok began: In the US, there was an app called “Musical.ly” which came from Shanghai in 2014. This app was very popular amongst pre-teens and teenagers. It was a place where self-expression was shown through individuals dancing to small snippets of their favourite songs. In 2016, a Chinese tech company called ByteDance created Douyin. Then in 2018, they noticed that it was quite popular in China, and decided to dabble in the US market. They bought Musical.ly and renamed it “Tiktok”. I’ve always noticed videos of “Tiktok” floating around my Facebook feed, these short videos consisted mainly of Chinese individuals displaying their everyday lives. For example, playing small pranks on family members/friends, showing off Chinese fashion, or showing off their pets. That’s where Tiktok began exploding, not just for teenagers but for adults as well.
The Love for Tiktok
As of today, by doing a quick Google search, there are roughly 500 million active Tiktok users around the world today. Why is it so popular? Some individuals describe this app as “magical” or “addictive”. I would describe it as a place of escapism. Tiktok is heavily loved because of several components: algorithms, tunes/trends, creativity, and a mutual understanding between users. The reason some users describe the app being “Magical” is due to its extremely perceptive Algorithm. Vox explains that the reason people view it that way is that it is highly adaptive to what the person wants to see. As an example, I’m a lover of food, fashion, and funny cat videos. The app picks it up so quickly, and the next thing I know, I’m hooked. I sit there for hours and hours and past my bedtime just consumed in these videos that give me good ideas, bad ideas, and inspiration. Before I know it, I’m colouring the front pieces of my hair a different colour. Another contributing factor is trends and creativity. Needless to say, the songs used on the app are extremely catchy and users bounce ideas off of each other. This continues inspiring people to use the same song, and a multitude of videos using that song will show up. Lastly, one of the best things about Tiktok is that there is so much individuality and language doesn’t constrict the content being displayed. Vox explains that you can watch someone else from another part of the world and hear their stories through their actions in the video.
What’s the Big Issue?
Tiktok being banned would be a big problem. Many countries are very unsettled about the app being owned by China and the information their ownership gives them access to from users all around the world. If the US decides to ban this platform, there won’t only be many upset users but it can become a problem for the world. Sourced from Digital Deciders, New American Foundation Report, based on a survey for the flow of information in different countries found that The US is not as restrictive when it comes to information flowing through the internet. China has bans on many American apps, such as Facebook, Youtube, and Snapchat. Vox mentions that the US following through with this block could affect the decisions of many world leaders to come to the conclusion of doing the same thing. Even though Tiktok claims that they have never sold information to the Chinese government, Trump sees it as an opportunity to retaliate against China for the COVID pandemic, by limiting their access to the US market “Well it [TikTok] is a big business, look what happened with China, what they have done to this country and the entire world, is disgraceful.” Many questions arise: where will the US be more controlling over what platforms can be used? When will the deciding factor boil down to who owns it? Information being leaked to another country is frightening, for there is no way to know what is being done with it. There have been many warnings issued out for users to discontinue the use of Tiktok due to the data being collected and not having a clear understanding of where it’s going. For myself, It did raise some concerns about my privacy being leaked, but I ended up ignoring it. The content is too great to put down. I still continuously use it today, for hours! Additionally, I would be quite disappointed because the majority of the users I watch are from the states. However, I wasn’t too bothered, assuming another app similar to Tik Tok would pop up eventually.
@tiktok #WeAreTikTok and we are here to stay!
(@tiktok / TikTok)
Future of Tiktok
As mentioned earlier, Tiktok is safe, for now. They have extended another week of the app’s usage until a settlement is finalized. Trump’s biggest concern is the privacy issue and having access to use that data. CBC gives insight into the current negotiation, the new company, Tiktok global will have headquarters in the states, Oracle and Walmart have a combined 20% stake in the company for about 12 billion dollars. Bytedance will continue to have a stake but American investors will be allowed to invest in the company. TikTok’s user data will be moved to Oracle’s cloud servers. Now another issue arises, where China has to sign off and allow this to happen. China may not want to share the technology behind the algorithm, as it is a vital part of the app’s success. The fate of TikTok will depend on China, and whether they are okay with the deal or not. If the deal doesn’t close within a week, the app will no longer update in the US and eventually will be taken down from the app store. I do hope this is not the end of this wonderful app. It brings a lot of joy to me and many other users. Tiktok has made an announcement letting all the active users know that they are here to stay and they love the overwhelming support that they have received. We will see at the end of this week whether or not the app will be banned in the US.