TikTok isn’t just an app; it’s a cultural phenomenon shaping how we communicate, consume media, and even challenge societal norms. With its bite-sized videos and algorithmic magic, TikTok has become a global stage for creativity, activism, and viral trends, redefining what it means to connect in the digital age. But beneath its playful dances and catchy sounds lies a deep well of unease. Why has this app drawn such scrutiny from lawmakers, with some calling for outright bans? Is it the platform’s undeniable influence over public opinion, its ties to foreign ownership, or the unsettling power of its data collection practices? The answers reveal a collision of innovation, fear, and the fragile balance of power in a hyper-connected world.
I see TikTok as a pretty nifty little app and so incredibly easy to use as a consumer. It provides a very wide range of content as well giving a platform to anyone willing to make the video. The best part is it doesn’t take to much effort to make a video that’ll garnish hundreds if not thousands of views and understanding how to get those views isn’t rocket appliances Ricky. TikTok’s algorithm runs on what I believe are to major philosophies; the hat draw and the retention.
Let’s break the algorithm down and understand how it essentially works.
The first step of course is to make a post. It could be a video, a series of pictures, or even just a little text to get the an idea or message out there. TikTok provides everything you need to do this through the app so no need for external cameras or expensive software. They even have a Supercut option if you aren’t feeling like spending an hour+ editing.
The next step is naming and describing what you posted. It might not seem important it’s an essential step in helping TikTok understand your target audience. You can even add hashtags to further expand your net to reach an even broader audience.
Now this is the next step, the first of the two major philosophies. The hat draw, which is just a term I’ve coined for it because I don’t really know what else to call it, is taking your video and presenting it in the feed of a small number of people who interact with similar videos. Interact is a very important factor in this equation because the number of people who are exposed to your content is determined largely by how many people gather a reaction to it. That’s likes, comments, shares, and reposts. There’s a fourth major factor though and that’s retention and lonely the most powerful factor in your next viral video and why it’s the last step in the algorithm. The more people interacting and watching the video all the way through, the more people it’s shown to.
You may have noticed that TikTok thrives on the short form content and that’s sort of a big issue for the platform according to a lot of people. It promotes shorter attention spans leading to problems in youth development but I’m not a pediatrician nor do I fully comprehend the brain enough to determine for myself whether that statement is true. What is true though is that with this new age of the growing population using the platform, your next 15 minutes of viral fame are getting cut shorter and shorter as more people are beginning to understand better and even exploit the algorithm.
Ok, I know it’s been a lot of blabber but you’re probably wondering when I’ll get to my point. Well, I sorta already did. You see, the TikTok algorithm isn’t difficult to work with which means that anyone can go on there and make a video and become viral overnight and though that doesn’t sound like such a bad thing let’s look at what we’ve been told and heard in regards to the US ban.
Bad actors:
There are many bad actors in the app and it’s not hard for them to spread a message or mission of ill intentions
Already said this but; Health concerns:
The short form content does not encourage retention and may harm development of youth brains
And the most damming; Reconnaissance:
ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, is a Chinese based company that may be using TikTok to gather intelligence
All valid reasons sure but if there was evidence to support any of these claims I’d be a bit happier to humor these accusations. As an avid TikTok I can only really talk on one of the three major problems and that being bad actors. Like I said before I know nothing about youth development so the effect the app has on youth is about as much a mystery to me as any one else BUT what I can say is that none of the evidence presented that I have seen have been nothing more than hearsay and opinion and frankly I don’t take neither to heart unless I’m biased on the topic. I also can’t speak much on the claim that China is using the platform to spy on the US, I could never prove anything in that front even if I tried.
To add to the last paragraph, the US government did ban TikTok on any and all government devices
What I can speak on though is the claim that bad actors are coming into the platform to sway public opinion with bad intentions. This is something I’m very biased about, not the bad actors but the censorship that’s being encouraged on a larger scale.
We’re led to believe that TikTok is riddled with predators and terrorists and I’m not saying that people don’t use the app with malicious intent but I am saying that this accusation seems to effect everyone else but me. Maybe I’m just lucky like that, maybe I’m not a victim in the global problem, or maybe I’ve already been brainwashed… (cue dramatic sound bite)
Luigi Mangione, you might recognize the name. If you’ve been living under a rock though he’s the guy that assassinated the United healthcare CEO. Depending on how you follow your news may garnish drastically different opinions. CNN sent their condolences to the victim, Fox News ran Luigi’s name through the mud, but if you saw it on TikTok or Bluesky or whatever platform you indulge you may have noticed that public opinion is very different and I’m part of that demographic. I personally believe that everything he has done was for a greater purpose, though I don’t encourage anyone becoming a martyr for a greater purpose, I’m not ignorant to the fact that when a problem on the larger scale exists for long enough drastic measures will be taken.
So what’s Luigi got anything to do with the TikTok ban? Well, he’s a prime example of the greater problem which is censorship. Without TikTok speaking against the proposed public opinion presented by these major news stations would be blasphemous, I know that because the last 10+ years I’ve been forced to hold a political opinion about US elections as not to make bad ground with coworkers, friends, and family but if I spoke openly about what I truly believe I’m shut down and wrong. That’s just my personal example I’ll make a whole separate post on my political opinion some day but I digress, the point I’m making is that Luigi Mangione isn’t a villain in this arc and if TikTok hadn’t introduced me to this form of ideology and following the public opinion and forming my own questions I’d probably had given the whole scenario no mind, just as I’m expected. But instead I read his manifesto and followed the clues at home with the help of people speaking freely.
Luigi isn’t the only case; since the turn of the new year, and the time this was written, America has been hit by three different attacks all labeled as terrorism and it’s presented as mindless barbarism by our friends in the major news stations. But when you start following the breadcrumbs and as new information comes to light in non-conventional ways you begin to see it in a different, more poetic way and the questions I have now throw a wrench in the narrative told as a whole!
In my opinion and personal belief, there’s no deeper meaning to the proposed TikTok ban. It’s purely to censor public word of mouth. The internet isn’t so easily hushed and even though it may not seem like a huge deal, it really is. Land of the free and home of the brave and even if I never fight in a war in my entire life I’ll still live by those words because that’s the foundation of the American way and despite its muddled outlook my freedom to speak against government or anything I damn well please, and Uncle Sam knows this, I’ll die fighting for the right to speak my mind.
I know this has been a pretty long winded hot take but it’s something I’m very passionate about. Censorship is a problem that goes against everything I believe. I may not seem like the kind of person on the outside but inside I’m very patriotic. I love my country and I love my fellow Americans, I’d do anything for my country because I was born here and my blood runs red white and blue for her and it has everything to do with the ideologies this country was founded on, freedom. I can express myself publicly, I can speak my opinions and grievances with the government, I’m not restricted to following a certain religion or limited on the knowledge I’m allowed to consume. If TikTok does get banned I strongly believe that would be the first break in those fundamental foundations. Do I think there should be an uprising if there is? No, of course not! But I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere out there someone would do something drastic to fight for their freedoms even if that freedom was a 30 second clip of a silly cat.
I’ll end this tangent on that note, I know I’ve said a lot and maybe it makes sense to you or maybe it doesn’t but my point stands as a statement against censorship. I feel as my opinion on the matter could literally go on forever. I’d love to know your opinion in the comments. What do you think of the TikTok ban? Do you think the recent waves of opinion vs. narrative will have an effect on the governments ultimate decision on ban? Will any of these recent attacks on American soil have sway in the ultimate decision of the ban going forward? Leave a your opinions in the comments I’d love to see what other people think and thanks for reading ❤️
ImpChimp Art 