Current:Home > BackThe U.S. is threatening to ban TikTok? Good luck-LoTradeCoin
The U.S. is threatening to ban TikTok? Good luck
View Date:2024-12-23 15:35:10
TikTok is on trial as U.S. authorities consider a ban. There's just one problem: it's not only an app for silly videos anymore, it is now entwined with our culture.
Who are they? The TikTok generation. You might think of them as tweens shaking their hips to a Megan Thee Stallion song. In actuality, more than 1 in 3 Americans are using the app.
- Just this week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said the app had reached 150 million active users in the United States. That's up from the 100 million the app said it had in 2020.
- It has changed the online experience well beyond its own platform, with almost every other major social media platform pivoting to video.
What's the big deal?
- Any potential ban of the app wouldn't just be a regulatory or legal battle. It would have to reckon with how American culture has become significantly altered and intertwined with the foreign-owned app.
- Like it or not, TikTok is setting the discourse on beauty standards, cultural appropriation, finances, privacy and parenting, and impacting consumption habits from books to music, boosting small businesses and keeping users privy to avian illness drama.
- Pew research found a small but growing number of U.S. adults are also now getting their news on TikTok, even as news consumption on other social media platforms stagnates or declines.
- It's that very reach that appears to have the Biden administration worried. It has cited national security concerns over TikTok being owned by the Beijing-based company, ByteDance, which is subject to Chinese laws that would compel it to comply with requests to hand over information to the government about its customers. White House officials have told TikTok that it must divest from ByteDance or face the possibility of a ban.
Want more? Listen to the Consider This episode on #dementia TikTok — a vibrant, supportive community.
What are people saying
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in his prepared remarks before the U.S House Committee on Energy and Commerce:
Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country. However ... you don't simply have to take my word on that. Rather, our approach has been to work transparently and cooperatively with the U.S. government and Oracle to design robust solutions to address concerns about TikTok's heritage.
Author and lecturer Trevor Boffone, in the 2022 book TikTok Cultures in the United States:
TikTok has fully penetrated U.S. culture. Take for instance a trip to grocery chain Trader Joe's, which features an "as seen on TikTok" section promoting foods made popular by TikTok. Or, for example, Barnes & Noble stores, with tables dedicated to #BookTok. And, of course, TikTok has perhaps had the most obvious influence on the music industry; trending songs on TikTok find commercial success and land at the top of the charts.
Katerina Eva Matsa, an associate director of research at Pew, in a 2022 report:
In just two years, the share of U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has roughly tripled, from 3% in 2020 to 10% in 2022. The video-sharing platform has reported high earnings the past year and has become especially popular among teens – two-thirds of whom report using it in some way – as well as young adults.
So, what now?
- NPR's Bobby Allyn reports that at Thursday's hearing, Zi Chew is expected to say that a forced divestiture would not address the fundamental concerns about data flows or access. A lengthy legal battle could ensue, regardless of the outcome.
- The United States isn't the only place with second thoughts on Tiking and Tokking: the app is banned in India, with other restrictions in place or being considered in The European Union, Canada, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, and more.
Learn more:
- Armed with influencers and lobbyists, TikTok goes on the offense on Capitol Hill
- TikTok CEO says company is 'not an agent of China or any other country'
- The Biden administration demands that TikTok be sold, or risk a nationwide ban
veryGood! (464)
Related
- Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
- Baby Reindeer's Alleged Real-Life Stalker Speaks Out on Netflix Show
- Alo Yoga's Biggest Sale of the Year Is Here at Last! Score up to 70% off Sitewide
- Gerard Depardieu detained for questioning in connection with alleged sexual assaults
- Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
- GaxEx Exchange Breaks into the Global Top Ten, Illuminating the Crypto World this Winter: Exclusive Celebration for Crypto Enthusiasts Begins
- California’s population grew in 2023, halting 3 years of decline
- 24 NFL veterans on thin ice after 2024 draft: Kirk Cousins among players feeling pressure
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Which horses have won the Kentucky Derby? Complete list of winners by year since 1875
Ranking
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- UFC Champion Francis Ngannou's 15-Month-Old Son Dies
- San Diego Zoo will receive two new giant pandas from China after nearly all pandas in U.S. were returned
- Ben Affleck May Have Just Made Himself Another Meme
- Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
- Nick Viall's Wife Natalie Joy Fires Back at Postpartum Body Shamers After Her Wedding
- JoJo Siwa and More Dance Moms Stars Get Matching Tattoos After Reunion
- Don't use TikTok? Here's what to know about the popular app and its potential ban in US
Recommendation
-
Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
-
Remote Lake Superior island wolf numbers are stable but moose population declining, researchers say
-
UFC Champion Francis Ngannou's 15-Month-Old Son Dies
-
How to watch John Mulaney's upcoming live Netflix series 'Everybody’s In LA'
-
Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
-
Iconic arch that served as Iditarod finish line collapses in Alaska. Wood rot is likely the culprit
-
Hyundai, BMW, Jaguar among 39,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
California’s population grew in 2023, halting 3 years of decline