We gather here today to mourn, but to also celebrate, the life and legacy of TikTok. While its time was short, its impact will remain within our hearts forever. And by “impact” I of course mean our short attention spans. TikTok gave us so much, most of which we took for granted such as the complex dances and iconic pop culture moments.Who could forget the 3:00a.m. tarot readings that convinced us that the love of our life was an Aquarius? Thank you TikTok, you will be missed, but never forgotten.
Wait, hold on, just kidding. Apparently everything’s fine and TikTok didn’t die?
As of January 19, TikTok is still permitted in the United States. After being banned for what felt like only ten hours, everything seems to be back to normal. But what actually happened?
I am not going to lie, I have about as many answers as I have questions. What happened? Why is this happening? Why the ban and then the immediate reinstatement? I don’t want to pretend like I have all the answers, however, I would like to attempt to clear the air on some particular questions.Â
Addressing the “Why?”
To better understand what’s happening now, we have to look back at 2014 when the app Musical.ly was first introduced in Shanghai. Musical.ly was a short form content app where creators would make videos lip syncing to popular songs and film sketch comedy skits. It was one of the most popular apps at the time, making it marketable and heavily sought after by major corporations such as the Chinese tech company, ByteDance. ByteDance bought Musical.ly in 2017 and rebranded it to what we now know as TikTok. One of the major innovations that came with the rebranding was the infamous algorithm. Based on likes, watch time, comments and a plethora of various user data, the algorithm curates the user’s “For You” page. This encourages users to doom scroll because if the audience is constantly watching something that interests them, why would they ever get off the app?
Over the last eight years, TikTok has only gotten more and more popular. It has carved a new financial outlet as creators have been able to forge real, lasting careers and build significant followings. Despite this phenomenal traction, back in 2020 when TikTok truly gained speed, Donald Trump both proposed and signed an executive order to ban TikTok in the United States, claiming that the app was a “National Security Threat.” The executive order was reversed by the Biden Administration in 2021.Â
While President-elect Trump was originally the first person to make an attempt to ban the platform, it wasn’t until March of 2024 when a bill began circulating through Congress that upheld the same principles of Trump’s original concerns. The bill gave both TikTok and its parent company ByteDance an ultimatum: either ByteDance sells TikTok to a government approved buyer or the app would be banned in the United States. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives, the Senate and signed by President Biden in April of 2024. This legislation gave TikTok one year to separate itself from ByteDance.Â
The reasoning behind this ban is due to the fact that lawmakers seem to believe that ByteDance is harboring sensitive information from United States citizens and handing it over to the Chinese government. By law, the Chinese government is permitted to “demand sensitive information” from companies operating in the PRC (the People’s Republic of China). Sensitive information could be anything such as user’s locations, phone numbers, search histories or other personal information. Lawmakers are also concerned with the spread of misinformation/propaganda. TikTok’s popularity has turned it into a massive sounding board where people can say anything and everything with a ready audience to hear their opinions, making it a great place for false news to fester. Although, since the birth of the internet we’ve always been taught to take information found online with a grain of salt, which begs the question of why the spread of misinformation is an issue the government decides to tackle now?
Back in May of 2024, TikTok and ByteDance sued the United States Federal Government as a way to oppose the law trying to ban the app, claiming that it was unconstitutional. Because TikTok is based on the communication between users, banning it would be a direct violation against the consumer’s first amendment rights.Â
Is There any Hope?
As I have said, I have no clue what is going to happen with TikTok. Originally, TikTok was given until January 19, 2025 to separate itself from ByteDance, the day before Trump’s inauguration. What’s even more confusing is that despite the President-elect’s initial intention to ban the app, he now is the one who has been urging Congress to hold back on their decision with the hope of a 90-day extension so that he can handle the issue once in office. However, as of January 18 at around 7 P.M., TikTok went dark. The app was no longer usable in the United States. Then on January 19, sometime in the morning, the app was suddenly working again. So quite literally, overnight, the TikTok ban is fixed? Well, that’s where it gets tricky. As of now, everything feels very up in the air, as if we are all collectively waiting for the other shoe to drop.
In the Meantime…
Regardless of what happens, as I am trying to look at this in a positive light, I do think it’s important to take some time off of the app. Even though I was in the process of downloading all of my saved videos when the app went dark, I was looking forward to experiencing life without the temptation to doom scroll. While I probably won’t delete the app, I am going to spend less time on it. I want to work on becoming more productive, focused and present in my everyday life. I want to devote more of my time to hobbies that I always claim I “never have time for.” In reality, I always had the time, I was just on TikTok. I want to read more, take up crochet, try out pilates and yoga. I want to be outside and devote more time to the people in my life. I encourage you to do the same, regardless of whether TikTok is “back” or not.Â
It’s important to recognize what the potential ban means to those who built their careers from the platform. As someone who uses TikTok recreationally, I have no real understanding of the emotions that a dedicated creator must have been undergoing for the last few weeks. TikTok has had some major, positive impacts on people’s lives but especially the lives of those who were able to build a following from posting, like creators Drew Afualo, Dylan Mulvaney, Whitney Simmons and so many more. Drew Afualo gave women the space to learn how to use their voices in the face of misogyny. Dylan Mulvaney documented her journey as a trans-woman and explored the nuances of girlhood. Whitney Simmons reassured women that the gym can be a safe place and motivated them to not be intimidated by male dominated spaces. These creators and so many more create change and build communities that have provided safe spaces for millions to turn to. To ban the app means banning these communities that allowed so many people to feel recognized and represented. It means banning community outreach and banning creators from a source of income; it’s so much bigger than simply deleting an app.Â
However the last few weeks have made you feel, whether you never downloaded TikTok or have become addicted to it, your feelings are valid. I don’t know what is going to happen, but no matter what, the most important thing we can do is to keep the conversations going. TikTok is a place to celebrate community and as long as we keep talking to each other about the things that matter, everything is going to be fine.
It may not be goodbye yet, but still, it’s been fun TikTok, thank you.