For the past few years, TikTok has been under fire by Congress as well as former President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump. After many threats, a law was passed this year banning the beloved platform from app stores in the U.S. Users and creators alike began to mourn the loss of TikTok, which is not only a source of entertainment and information, but for a lot of creators, it was also a full-time job.
During the goodbye to TikTok period, creators and users reminisced on old trends and viral moments. The nostalgia of the past five years on the app hit me like a truck, and grief washed over me. You may think it’s silly to be sad over the loss of an app, but TikTok is so much more. It holds memories, community, and it has gotten a lot of people through some tough times. In the few short hours that the app disappeared, there was a collective sense of loss.
TikTok has been so influential amongst young people, to the point that it has almost become its own language. Almost everyone I know in my age group regularly quotes viral TikToks like people used to quote movies. Knowing a TikTok reference feels like being in on a big inside joke and finding people who know the same references as you can help break the ice and form new connections. People with niche interests have found each other, users have debated important social and political topics, and there is a wealth of knowledge such as recipes and workout routines.
During the pandemic, TikTok was especially important because it became young people’s main source of connection and entertainment. As we were ripped out of school and isolated from our social circles, TikTok provided a way for people to stay connected and to escape the overwhelming unknown.
I won’t pretend that the platform is perfect. The algorithm can feed into people’s beliefs and create political echo-chambers, it can be a major source of misinformation, and, like any social media app, it can reproduce unrealistic beauty standards. People can be harsh and hateful, they can use the app for the wrong reasons, and political and capitalist agendas can be pushed to the masses. And sure, maybe we’re all a bit addicted and brain-rotted from the short-form content but, in my experience, TikTok has created a true camaraderie within a generation that has lost the art of human connection.
The future of TikTok is unknown, with the government now being involved and the ban still looming overhead, but for now I’m glad that it’s back.