As TikTok grows, so does suspicion • Hacker News Board

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#11

Post by ALittleLight » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:34 PM UTC

drno123 wrote: post #9

rcpt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the US and PRC are equally authoritarian" isn't particularly compelling either

Sure, since in the last 20 years US invaded Iraq, Afganistan and Lybia while PRC invaded 0 countries.

Authoritarianism is not measured by invasion count.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#12

Post by xan92 » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:34 PM UTC

There is lot of good content creators on TikTok apart from (dancing/singing) ones, the TechTok community is huge , It really depends on what interest the end users have, It's all individual attention driven algorithm that caters to the end user needs based on their likes/dislikes. It's faster to learn if you don't like something it does a good job in not recommending those type of content again. Which I believe Instagram/youtube isn't that great at.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#13

Post by mjmsmith » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:34 PM UTC

rcpt wrote: post #7

mjmsmith wrote: post #6

I”m open to good-faith criticism of TikTok, but “our authoritarians don’t like an app controlled by their authoritarians” isn’t particularly compelling.

"the US and PRC are equally authoritarian" isn't particularly compelling either

I didn’t say they were equally authoritarian. But if you’re more concerned about TikTok’s corrosive effect on American democracy than Donald Trump’s and Ted Cruz’s, I’m not sure what to say.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#14

Post by aesthesia » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

drno123 wrote: post #9

rcpt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the US and PRC are equally authoritarian" isn't particularly compelling either

Sure, since in the last 20 years US invaded Iraq, Afganistan and Lybia while PRC invaded 0 countries.

Authoritarianism and military aggression are not the same thing.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#15

Post by chrischen » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

tonymet wrote: post #5

they mention data harvesting and influencing public relations as risks, and both are worrisome . another more subtle but pernicious concern is the trivialization of entertainment (which started from a low bar ) tiktok is addictive and much of the content is low bar , slapstick and sexually suggestive thirst traps . there may be a good share of high quality content , but we all know time spent is on garbage. our grand…

This is not tiktok specific. This is pretty much all user generated short form social media content.

Tiktok has just been better at surfacing the content. Also tiktok is more for consumption and less for socializing with friends or acquaintences.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#16

Post by curious_cat_163 » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:36 PM UTC

hunglee2 wrote: post #2

excellent article, surprisingly nuanced and - I think - fair in its analysis. The main fear is not that it is a foreign owned app - after all, most people in the countries all over the world are using foreign owned (US) apps - it is because it is the first non-US app used by US citizens which unnerves both the US government and US commentariat. Whether those fears are justified or not, I suspect US will follow the Ch…

I hope that the US doesn’t ban TikTok. That would be a very bad outcome for the concept of an open internet.

I do think more regulation are likely in order. There are some very good arguments for not letting children under a certain age to be allowed on the social media platforms. However, the enforcement of those laws is spotty and is left to parental controls.

What we need is an outbreak of social media literacy among the youngest members of society. Like, this needs to be taught at school in first grade or something.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#17

Post by novok » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:36 PM UTC

tonymet wrote: post #5

they mention data harvesting and influencing public relations as risks, and both are worrisome . another more subtle but pernicious concern is the trivialization of entertainment (which started from a low bar ) tiktok is addictive and much of the content is low bar , slapstick and sexually suggestive thirst traps . there may be a good share of high quality content , but we all know time spent is on garbage. our grand…

Imo tiktok is a bit of a mirror. Its a thirst trap for you. For the short time i used it, it quickly started centering around cute/funny pets and science explainer videos. I also doubt it would show thirst traps to the typical straight female user too too.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#18

Post by jjcon » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:37 PM UTC

drno123 wrote: post #9

rcpt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the US and PRC are equally authoritarian" isn't particularly compelling either

Sure, since in the last 20 years US invaded Iraq, Afganistan and Lybia while PRC invaded 0 countries.

"Invaded" language and situational nuance aside, that has everything to do with superpower status and nothing to do with being authoritarian...

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#19

Post by ravenstine » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:37 PM UTC

mjmsmith wrote: post #13

rcpt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the US and PRC are equally authoritarian" isn't particularly compelling either

I didn’t say they were equally authoritarian. But if you’re more concerned about TikTok’s corrosive effect on American democracy than Donald Trump’s and Ted Cruz’s, I’m not sure what to say.

No one here said that TikTok is more corrosive than Trump or Cruz, and you're the only one who brought up democracy. Speaking of the latter, even a purely democratic society can be authoritarian.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#20

Post by voisin » Sun, Jul 10, 2022, 5:39 PM UTC

So here’s my tinfoil hat theory. When I watch Tik Tok (and I am fully aware my feed is different from others), I become genuinely happy. I see people singing, creating music together via duets, showing homesteading skills, teaching things they know, telling funny jokes, etc. I never see dangerous challenges, though I am not a teen. Here’s the tinfoil hat theory: Tik Tok is what social media was meant to be, but unlike American social media giants that made their deal with the devil and drive growth via separating and polarizing people, Tik Tok makes people feel like the world isn’t a scary awful place with “them vs us” mentality, and so it poses a threat to our political culture which feeds off division.

All I know is that when I go on Facebook I just see angry boomers being quasi political, when I go on Instagram I am filled with envy, when I go on twitter I feel overwhelmed by the sheer flood of information and vileness, and when I go on Tik Tok I feel happy and a new ambition to pick up the guitar again.