The last week on tiktok.

Sure, you know about the TikTok ban, but if you are not on TikTok, you likely missed a huge moment in American geopolitics and it’s more important than you think. 

If you still think TikTok is solely trivial dance trends and makeup tutorials, you are missing one of the most utilized communication tools for 170 million Americans. This represents nearly half of the US population with 80% of TikTok users being under 40. From an increased disillusionment in democracy to a radical act of protest resulting in citizen diplomacy between the US and China, a lot happened during the last week of TikTok as users faced an impending shutdown of the app. Last week, TikTok users and creators counted down the days until the app was scheduled to go dark leaving them waiting anxiously to see if SCOTUS would release an opinion before the impending deadline of January 19th. SCOTUS released their opinion upholding the ban at the eleventh hour on Friday morning, January 17th.

For an overview of the TikTok ban, the AP gives a great account of the last 4 years. This episode of NPR’s 1A, discusses how the SCOTUS opinion upholding the ban could pan out.

What happened between users on the platform while they faced an unknown future is worthy of your attention.

Here is what you need to know.  

Furthering US citizens’ disillusionment of US politics and politicians, including the American justice system.

The viral TikTok ban song by creator @oct_official may sum it up perfectly. “TikTok Baby!” (which circulated widely in the week leading up to the deadline) dismisses a laundry list of top concerns of the American people including climate change, healthcare, processed food, violence and more, followed by the sarcastic and catchy hook, “but if you’re asking me the biggest problem is TikTok.” TikTok users have widely accused this ban as political theatre, distracting from critical issues, rather than a protection measure for data privacy or national security. This feeling has been growing during the multiyear process of banning TikTok. Starting with an embarrassing congressional hearing with TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, in 2023, questioners seemed more like Boomers struggling with their wifi than representatives informed on cyber security. This was then followed by the DoJ submitting classified under seal evidence of a national security threat that TikTok’s legal representation was not privy to and therefore could not build any defense against. SCOTUS ended up dismissing this evidence for consideration when forming its unanimous opinion, and only applied moderate scrutiny when reviewing the case, signaling the threat to national security was not as urgent as Congress declared. For one last nail in the coffin, TikTok creators have pointed out that several congressional supporters of the ban have remained on TikTok throughout this entire process. This has reinforced a feeling held by many Millenials and GenZ that aging politicians are clinging to power and becoming increasingly out of touch.

Young Americans don’t care about data privacy.

While other countries have passed laws protecting individuals’ data privacy, the US has fallen behind. Citing data privacy as the primary justification for the national security risk, sparked a conversation about how little data privacy Americans have. Many creators have pointed out (as has TikTok) that other social media apps, shopping apps, and websites collect and sell our data in vast amounts. This has left many TikTok users unconvinced that there is anything left to protect. As viral TikTok trends frequently use humor, recent posts consisted of users pretending to be Chinese spies saying farewell to their American targets and Americans wistfully handing over their data as a parting gift to their Chinese spy.

Increased awareness of a Tech Oligarchy influencing US policy.

Tech giants Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos fueling headlines as they shmooze with Trump, coupled with the timing of the TikTok divestment deadline the day before Trump’s inauguration has made TikTok users consciously aware of the tech oligarchy’s influence on US politics. Trump was directly named in both the shutdown and restart message on the app and Chew posted a message thanking the president directly. While there are many conspiracy theories floating about on TikTok since the app has been back up after its 14-hour blackout, users have been using increased coded language to discuss politics on the app for fear of being watched or censored. This is one of the first times since the Cold War that Americans have been this afraid of censorship.

Citizen Diplomacy between US and China.

Something unprecedented happened between American and Chinese citizens that is not being widely acknowledged. Out of a sense of rebellion and the desperate need to find a new platform, American TikTok users joined another Chinese social app en masse called Red Note— an app that prior had exclusively Chinese users both in China and abroad. During the week leading up to the ban, Red Note was the number one downloaded app in both the Apple Store and Google Play. 3.4 million American users flooded this Chinese social network. This organized movement was an intentional middle finger to Congress’s concerns about Chinese access to Americans’ data. But it was on Red Note that a magnificent large-scale cultural exchange occurred in a matter of days.

Chinese users posted welcome videos for #TikTokRefugees (as they were termed) in English or captioned in English for their new American friends. They gave mini lessons in Mandarin, shared memes and Red Note lingo like code words, nicknames, and hashtags to find their niche communities. Americans, some of whom may have never left the United States, were delighted by Chinese humor with the resounding message telephoning from Red Note back to TikTok– “Chinese people are just like us, and even funnier!” Over the course of a few days, Americans and Chinese engaged in a virtual exchange with day-in-the-life content including the cost of rent, groceries, and activities providing Americans a real glimpse into the life of middle-class Chinese citizens. This broke open a conversation about propaganda versus reality in the respective countries. Chinese implored whether Americans had to pay for their own ambulances or if children wore bulletproof backpacks to school, assuming that these were some of the most ridiculous propagandistic assertions from Chinese authorities. When Americans confirmed that this was the reality in America and not Chinese propaganda, a door opened in the American consciousness. Americans were faced with a contradiction between their perceptions of China versus what they were experiencing when giggling at memes and peering into life on the opposite side of the globe. During a meaningful exchange between citizens whose countries are at odds, young Americans made a sinking realization that will have implications for years to come—our deeply engrained sense of American exceptionalism is nothing more than American propaganda.

Intrigued by what’s happening now on TikTok? 

Unfortunately, despite headlines implying otherwise, the ban is actually still in effect. While existing users are able to access TikTok, it is no longer available for download in the United States. You may just have to go find a young person and ask to kindly look over their shoulder.

The full version of TikTok Baby! can be found on Spotify.