Tiktok, the app that is used by 170 million people in the US was banned by congress on January 18th. Our government made clear their concerns for American’s data being safe and not being sold to other countries that may have mal intentions. In fears of American citizen’s data being sold to China the supreme court had ruled that the app would have until January 19th to sell to a American owned corporation or will be cut off from the American market. However as that day came up slowly many believed that this ban wouldn’t go through, not suspecting that an app as big and influential as Tiktok would be taken away from them, it came as a huge shock when around 7pm users were met with a message. When users opened the app all they could see was a pop up notification alerting us that Tiktok was indeed banned but not to lose hope for President Trump was in the works to reinstate Tiktok in the U.S.

There were many reasons to why the government had banned Tiktok. For one they wanted to ensure the American data wasn’t being sold to other countries and to reserve the privacy of their citizens. And another, they didn’t want any propaganda from others to be blatantly shown to Americans altering their mindsets for the good of foreign countries rather than the good of themselves. However, these are important issues that Americans should be protected from, the banning of Tiktok was ultimately a net negative for U.S. citizens. 7 million small businesses use Tiktok as their means of promoting themselves amongst the overwhelming sea of competition. Tiktok gives these business owners a chance to reach the people who resonate with their work and make cheap videos to advertise their products. These small businesses are in trouble, with how often new businesses fail, the app gave them a way to sell their products to customers all across the country. This loss travels all the way to the top where even huge corporations depend on Tiktok, as it is one of the biggest apps, to release ads that they know hundreds of thousands of people will see. Where they can give feedback on and relate to the younger audiences by following trends that will garner them more attention. It’s plain to see that this ban will not benefit anyone’s life short or long term.

Many were devastated to find this news out. Tiktok was a unique app that other social media’s attempted to capture what made it so great but failed. People could go on the app and find videos that were funny, related to them, or even taught them something. It was a place where people connected, where they could share their grief and be supported. A place where they could let go of their troubles and relax. It was less about how you presented yourself allowing you to fully embrace the freedom to truly express yourself without judgment. In desperation to recreate this, previous users of TikTok fled to other apps such as the most popular one “Xiaohongshu” or “Rednote”. This alternative is ironically a chinese owned application, it’s considered their version of Instagram. Those who made account in efforts to restore the some community there was in tiktok were call “Tiktok refugees” by the original users of the app. The commitment to finding a new platform went as far as American users learning mandarin to more smoothly incorporate themselves into their culture on the app. To be respectful to those that didn’t speak english the “Tiktok refugees” would caption their videos with the the translations of what they were saying.

The app was back to being accessible on January 19th around 10 am. People once again were shocked that not only the ban went through but was rescinded in only a few hours. While people were excited to be back they also seemed to notice a change within the app. As stated by the CEO of Tiktok, , it was due to Trump’s efforts that the app was brought back. This contradicts Presidents Trump’s previous statements in which he supported the end of the foreign app. As American users flood back into their once beloved app they started to suspect that they have been censored. In the political state in which the U.S. is in and Trump’s influence it wasn’t an unreasonable jump to conclude that propaganda was now roaming the app. Many believe to gain the favor of the youth, Trump did this all as a stunt to be seen as the app’s savior. This is all alleged and is just what some users on Tiktok have been noticing.

While Tiktok status in the U.S. has been a rollercoaster of decisions and actions, it is not cemented. Though the app is back for users to access, the app is still under threat of being banned. As of now Tiktok isn’t available on any of the app stores, this means that if you had deleted the app before the ban had taken place you are unable to redownload it. This has occurred to many people who wish to reinstall the app but are unable to just yet. Tiktok, arguably the most influential app there is at the moment, offers its users of all genders, races, and backgrounds a platform to speak on whatever they want. It’s undeniable that the ban on this app would be detrimental to the free speech of the people and would muffle the voices of those who don’t get the chance to speak in society, this is why this law is much more than a ban on a simple app but a law we all should take much more seriously and consider it a call to action, to protect what is important to us.

I asked three individuals a few questions to gather their opinions on this ban, here is what they had to say:

When did you first find out about the impending ban on Tiktok and did you think it would actually happen?

Leyla Orozco: “I found out that  it was going to be banned around december 6th ish, at first i believed that it wasn’t going to be banned because of how much the government had previously threatened to do so much as the ban date got closer and closer I realized that they were going to especially since it was all anyone could talk about.”

Sherlyn Solorzano: “I thought it was just going to be the same thing that happened last time. Where it wasn’t banned at all, so I assumed the same thing was going to happen again. I didn;t know what to expect on the 18th.”

Estrella Muñoz Rodriguez: “About a month before and I didn’t take it seriously because a few years back they said the same thing and nothing happened”

How did you feel when Tiktok actually was banned on the 18th?

Leyla Orozco: “At first I was a bit sad because it was a big part of my life, having it since before when it was called musical.ly. I even kept opening the app out of habit because I was so used to scrolling on it.”

Sherlyn Solorzano: “ I was shocked and upset because I’ve been having that app for a long time. I had a lot of my own private videos and everything I have ever saved, gone. Although that was the case, I still was going to move on and continue on with my life.”

Estrella Muñoz Rodriguez: “ I didn’t feel sad or anything because I thought it would motivate me to do better in school and focus on better things, if anything I wanted to see what life would be without it”

What did you do instead of going on Tiktok?

Leyla Orozco: “I moved to other apps like youtube and Instagram.”

Sherlyn Solorzano: “I heard of another app called ‘rednote’ and I decided to download it as a bit of a protest to the government.”

Estrella Muñoz Rodriguez: “ I watched TV and focused on school and working out”

Do you think the government made the right choice in banning the app?

Leyla Orozco: “honestly I see both sides. When they brought back tik tok I just kept scrolling and scrolling like usual wasting so much time. During the ban it made me realize how much I depended on it. On the other hand though tiktok made me feel connected to the world because of how much was covered news wise, I wouldn’t know half of the things going on right now if it was for the app which is kind of crazy.”

Sherlyn Solorzano: “Not at all. Getting rid of an app completely because the CEO of it wasn’t American was unjust. Especially, when things could’ve been solved in many different ways. When 170 million american people use the platform either for their business, content, money, or to use it as their voice. It doesn’t look good for the government and makes it seem like they are trying to have more control and silence the people.”

Estrella Muñoz Rodriguez: “I think there were some good and bad things from it but the reasons they wanted to do it in the first place weren’t the best. In the end it probably could have had some good come out of it.”