On TikTok Getting the Ban

 On TikTok Getting the Ban

I've never used TikTok. For me, social media is about following just people I'm interested in following, usually because I know them in real life or I like their work and not a means unto itself. I do use Instagram and every once in a while I get sucked into their TikTok knockoff, Reels. I've heard it's not as good as the real Made in China thing, but I get the idea. Lots of short bursts of dopamine. Creators eking out a living.

The argument for banning the platform is that it's foreign and could be used against us. I don't dismiss that one out of hand. A social media platform being used against a group of people to further the interests of those who control it is a legitimate threat and should be dealt with.

However, that applies to all social media platforms. The TikTok ban only serves to help their competitors like Musk and Zuckerberg. It does little to address the underlying problem. A few large companies have monopolized the social media space, and they are pushing an agenda to make themselves more powerful.

The problem is these platforms are inherently useful. Facebook is how my hometown communicates on local issues. If there's a power outage, I get updates from the local power company on what used to be Twitter. Local businesses need to advertise where people are, and legacy media can't keep up. I've run ads to promote events for a nonprofit through Facebook and it works.

The obvious solution is government regulation, of course, to either break up the monopolies or to limit the algorithms from pushing agendas. Gone are the days of editorial boards of newspapers vying for public trust. Now we have people saying anything for a click, like writing an entire blog post about a social media platform they've never used. With the social media companies securely embedded in our politics, there are few options that the actual people of this country have to fight back against them. Limit your use, use an adblocker, and look for alternatives. I've switched my microblogging to BlueSky for better or worse. I never shop through an app.

So should TikTok get banned? It's spreading Chinese propaganda. The real solution would be to pass comprehensive anti-propaganda laws to limit their operation and make algorithms subject to government oversight. Until that happens, ban them all.

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