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TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

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31–40 of 76 posts

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#31

It's great that Americans can now enjoy being surveiled by private companies instead of possibly being surveiled by a government. What a great improvement

Do you feel there's no difference between being surveilled by Oracle and being surveilled by the CCP? They're both terrible, but do you really think they're equivalent?

There's also the issue of the algorithm being used for propaganda, which (again) is also terrible in the hands of either party, but with potentially very different outcomes.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#32
post #17

What is the point of using short form content platforms as a consumer really? Just put the political stuff aside, they are often too short for any details over any topics if not straightly brainrot, ending up making people get distracted and lost patience easily. I never a fan of YouTube shorts and instagram reels either because of the same reason. Perhaps they are good for promotion, but as a user perspective, can a…

My wife loves TikTok. It introduces her to new fashion, new restaurants, new places to visit. Local, hyper local and hidden, and her favorite travel destinations. It's full of bite size tutorials. Tips and tricks. Genuinely useful stuff. Blogs and websites you'd find this stuff on are not as visual, not as well edited, and are hard to find or full of SEO spam. It's introduced her to all kinds of hobbies. Gen Z is all…

So better, richer content twitter? I never used that site except for a brief period at the beginning of the current Ukrainian war, but it sounds like it appeals to the same type of person.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#33

What is the point of using short form content platforms as a consumer really? Just put the political stuff aside, they are often too short for any details over any topics if not straightly brainrot, ending up making people get distracted and lost patience easily. I never a fan of YouTube shorts and instagram reels either because of the same reason. Perhaps they are good for promotion, but as a user perspective, can a…

Your categorical error is that you think people are watching them to cover details in topics.

They are a replacement for TV. You know, the thing that people used to watch for hours upon hours a day?

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#34

What is the point of using short form content platforms as a consumer really? Just put the political stuff aside, they are often too short for any details over any topics if not straightly brainrot, ending up making people get distracted and lost patience easily. I never a fan of YouTube shorts and instagram reels either because of the same reason. Perhaps they are good for promotion, but as a user perspective, can a…

It has 200M users in the US (I'm not one of them), which is about half of all citizens. Do you really think it's possible they have no point?

For most people, it's a distracting little jolt of dopamine and a way to get quick news or commentary.

It's definitely not good for our brains for that to be the main kind of content we consume, but it's not useless.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#36
post #9
post #4

Let’s be real, we all know this is about censorship, surveillance and controlling narratives.

Old: CCP censorship, CCP surveillance, CCP narratives New: US censorship, US surveillance, US narratives (patriot approved) I feel like this outcome is so much worse than just banning the platform.

> US censorship, US surveillance, US narratives (patriot approved)

This is the status quo for a lot of US media, but TikTok is actually much worse. The "US narratives" in this case are in service of Trump, possibly behind closed doors as table stakes for the purchase agreement.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#37
post #25
post #21

Good. now that it is done, can EU and the rest of the world push for regional ownership of Instagram, WhatsApp and Youtube without the US complaining unfair practices. Chinese ownership as a security threat is currently in between reality and conspiracy realms but the US govt meddling as a threat is a proven reality worldwide.

The EU would have to put the US on a list of "foreign adversaries", with whatever political fallout comes from that. Not saying they shouldn't, but there will be downsides. Since controlling these platforms is probably the best ROI for swinging public opinion, I'm sure it's a matter of time before they get seized (one way or another) and redistributed to reliable political allies.

Would they? There are already data residency laws, and the US didn’t have to be on any foreign adversary list for those to work, right?

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#38
post #25
post #21

Good. now that it is done, can EU and the rest of the world push for regional ownership of Instagram, WhatsApp and Youtube without the US complaining unfair practices. Chinese ownership as a security threat is currently in between reality and conspiracy realms but the US govt meddling as a threat is a proven reality worldwide.

The EU would have to put the US on a list of "foreign adversaries", with whatever political fallout comes from that. Not saying they shouldn't, but there will be downsides. Since controlling these platforms is probably the best ROI for swinging public opinion, I'm sure it's a matter of time before they get seized (one way or another) and redistributed to reliable political allies.

whether or not they formally put the US on such a list for trade purposes, clearly they see the US as such.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#39
post #23

Didn't this all start with data privacy? How is TikTok user data more private today than it was a year ago?

I think it was more about control. The narrative was that the Chinese government was intentionally affecting the algorithm for US users to dumb them down and affect elections.

I’m not sure about “dumb them down”, I suspect it’s more like “subtly influence popular opinion”.

My husbands TickTock feed is full of things like “10 things Americans do that Chinese think are weird”, “10 reasons Chinese cities are in the 22nd century” etc etc.

I personally don’t think that’s propaganda - most of it is factually true and would be pushed to the front of any fair algorithm because it is engaging. But I can kinda see the concern, even though I disagree with the outcome.

Re: TikTok is officially US-owned for American users, here's what's changing

#40

What is the point of using short form content platforms as a consumer really? Just put the political stuff aside, they are often too short for any details over any topics if not straightly brainrot, ending up making people get distracted and lost patience easily. I never a fan of YouTube shorts and instagram reels either because of the same reason. Perhaps they are good for promotion, but as a user perspective, can a…

I’m in my late 50s, and I’ve been using TikTok for over six years. Before that, the only social media I used was Facebook—not Instagram, not anything else—but TikTok pulled me in from the very beginning.

At first, it was all about the novelty: lip-syncing and dance videos. Over time, though, my interests evolved. I started following creators for travel vlogs, occasional financial advice, health tips, yoga and exercise—and last but not least, singing, which I only began at age 55.

I don’t have many viewers, and that’s perfectly fine. My account isn’t about chasing likes or comments. It’s simply a way for people to see who I am rather than engage with a random, unknown profile—if they’re curious enough to look. It also helps avoid mixed signals: when you know who I am (even though you never truly know someone), you can usually tell whether something is meant as a dad joke… or a Daddy joke

As a result, my consumption of TV, Netflix, and HBO has dropped significantly. I find it far more engaging to follow real people and see what they’re doing with their lives. And here’s the irony: aside from the first two or three seasons of Survivor, I’ve never been into reality TV—yet somehow, I’m completely hooked on this one.

[ Wordsmithed by AI ]

Ps: I think my joke has been taken badly by someone. The point is internet with few hundred million or just few million people is a minefield and like now somehow jokes don't click and knowing the person behind the joke, being able to if not ID them at least have them semi public is a credibility bridge that anonymity does not provide. By being public, you are more accountable than you normally would be

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