TikTok has faced threats of a nationwide ban ever since President Donald Trump’s first term due to allegations of the Chinese Communist Party spying on American citizens through the app. The app was officially banned on Jan. 18 for about 14 hours before the ban was lifted. However, this ban itself has been met with widespread criticism, especially by those who pointed out that “an Executive Order cannot legally override or cancel a law that Congress passed” according to Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute director, Sarah Kreps.
Some users and content creators have reportedly felt censored following the ban. For example, user Danisha Carter’s account, which featured political commentary and had two million followers, was permanently suspended during the ban, which Carter felt “‘has been very politically targeted,’” according to Reuters.
To be frank, I’ve never been an avid TikTok user. However, there was a drastic difference in my algorithm between Jan. 18 and a few days later when the ban was lifted. I used to see LGBTQ+ and human rights advocates, memes, retail skits and stories, global issues such as the conflict in the Middle East and LGBTQ+ couples documenting their lives to list a few.
When I logged back into TikTok a few days after the ban, I immediately started getting political content. Granted, there were still a decent amount of familiar faces, and I have interacted with political content before, but this seemed as if every other video was another political campaign or protest. I even got a few right-leaning videos and an ad for a Valentine’s Day card with Trump’s face in my feed — something I know for a fact I’ve never interacted with.
The fact that TikTok was banned in the first place is ridiculous because it infringes on free speech. As Reuters stated, TikTok was considered “a haven for free speech” by many users. It was a way to connect content creators and viewers globally, to spread information and for entertainment. In my own experience, I’ve heard more in real-time about global issues, such as the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls back in 2022, than in official media.
While the TikTok ban was an absurd idea, worse still was the idea to bring it back in an attempt for the Trump administration to appeal to a younger audience. The Associated Press reported, “Though Trump sought to ban TikTok during his first term… Trump ended up joining the app last year and has grown his following to nearly 15 million users. He has since credited the app for helping him win over young voters.” This also explains the decision to include the sentiment that Trump was working to restore TikTok in the second message from TikTok when it was banned for U.S. users — differing from the original message, which just stated that it was unavailable. This leads me to believe that the ban was simply a publicity stunt and a power play, to not only show the public the ability the Trump administration has to restrict free speech, but it also gets portrayed as the “savior” of the app.
jamabil3@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Pexels
