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What if no one misses TikTok?

nytimes.com

21–30 of 157 posts

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#21

It’s totally insane that China can ban all American social networks on security concerns and ban all kinds of just basic speech on their apps, but banning a Chinese social network is so controversial.

Yeah totally insane that our government actually has to be concerned with public opinion.

Is that sarcasm?

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#22

It’s totally insane that China can ban all American social networks on security concerns and ban all kinds of just basic speech on their apps, but banning a Chinese social network is so controversial.

According to the youth, it's more about a government censoring what speech their citizens can see. The CCP does it, sure. But America doing it feels new.

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#23
post #18

TikTok is old news now. Everyone’s joining 小紅書 and getting fully Xi-pilled.

This isn’t exaggeration btw. Gen Z is basically a cooked generation at this point.

Because we don't like what the US government and their corporate overlords are doing?

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#24
Ever since I started using social media platforms, some 22 years ago, I've been through six platforms. Those platforms were once teeming with life, but eventually got shut down, bought out, or just died a natural death. Every time people were up in arms, but eventually migrated somewhere else.

People will use something else.

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#26

It’s totally insane that China can ban all American social networks on security concerns and ban all kinds of just basic speech on their apps, but banning a Chinese social network is so controversial.

China doesn't claim that free speech and personal freedom are part of their core values

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#27

I'm not sure it's the right thing to ban TikTok, but I'm not surprised people aren't protesting in the streets. My feeling is that most people are addicted to these apps, not using them for the utility or pleasure they bring. These users have a deep down sense that they'd be better off without these apps. Instagram won't be banned, but if it were I think there might be a similar non-reaction.

>My feeling is that most people are addicted to these apps, not using them for the utility or pleasure they bring.

What if most people aren't addicted to them, and do simply find them useful and entertaining, and the hyperbole and discourse about how dangerous and addictive social media and "algorithms" are is a means to manufacture consent for the government regulating and controlling free speech?

What if it's a bigger problem that all the government has to do is gesture vaguely in the direction of China and many people will just roll over?

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#28

It’s totally insane that China can ban all American social networks on security concerns and ban all kinds of just basic speech on their apps, but banning a Chinese social network is so controversial.

Why is that insane? We should lead by example if we value free speech.

So if China would pay $100 a month to every teacher in the US to teach some subversive topic, would that also be ok?

The issue here isn't free speech, but control over what content is promoted, unless you think the CCP has the right to free speech in the US.

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#29
India banned TikTok and a whole host of other Chinese apps and after a few days of moaning they moved completely on. So the evidence indicates that no one will actually care. And TikTok is even less sticky than say Twitter. TikTok isn’t about the relationship graph you painstakingly built. It’s about the algorithm and the FYP it populates. That can be recreated instantly. Moving away from Twitter was hard because one had to painstakingly recreate their followers list. But moving from TikTok is trivial as long as the new alternative provides enough automatically delivered entertainment.

Re: What if no one misses TikTok?

#30

I'm not sure it's the right thing to ban TikTok, but I'm not surprised people aren't protesting in the streets. My feeling is that most people are addicted to these apps, not using them for the utility or pleasure they bring. These users have a deep down sense that they'd be better off without these apps. Instagram won't be banned, but if it were I think there might be a similar non-reaction.

> My feeling is that most people are addicted to these apps, not using them for the utility or pleasure they bring.

...I find it interesting to think about whether using something due to addiction means you wouldn't protest if it's forcibly taken away.

In other words, I wonder if people would protest if cigarettes were banned.

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