On January 18th, the viral app TikTok went dark for millions of Americans around 10:30 PM. This followed a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the ban. However, the Biden administration chose not to collect the fines enacted by this law. This decision was not enough for TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, as the ban still went into effect.
On Saturday evening, American users were met with the message: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. … We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
The app was suddenly rebooted the next afternoon with another message stating, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Users quickly noticed the praise Trump was receiving in pop-ups. His supporters were quick to thank him, while others criticized Trump for bringing up the ban in the first place.
After the app was rebooted for American citizens, there were a few changes. Some users reported not being able to use tags that criticize the president-elect or search terms like “fascism” or “Donald Trump rigged the election.”
Swifties found that when they tried to search for the hit song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” they were met with “The Smallest Woman Who Ever Lived.” Some think this is due to Taylor Swift’s support for Kamala Harris during the election.
Is this all a coincidence, or is TikTok turning into apps like X or Facebook?