Politics and Spyware and Shares, oh my! The social media saga continues. Who is to blame for this TikTok fiasco? China? The US? Some conspiracy theorists on TikTok itself are saying Mark Zuckerberg. No matter who did what to make this happen, one thing is almost certain: TikTok’s days are numbered.
In this article:
Opportunities Knock, Knock
Although the Meta conglomerate has been struggling to reach the successful numbers that it had projected originally and even saw drastic plummeting in share price during the last year, this continuing debate is starting to prove to be a saving grace for Mark Zuckerberg’s pet project.
If you’re familiar with how social media overall can be problematic for children, adults and teens, you may or may not know that TikTok in particular has some particularly negative side-effects on our brains due to its exceptionally addictive dopamine-producing video short style.
With TikTok being in the social media hot seat for even more reasons, the door is swinging open for Meta. With their launch of Reels on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with TT in 2020, Meta would be wise to stay on top of measures to avoid similar criticisms the Chinese-owned app receives for mental/digital wellness of its consumers.
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Who’s There?
No, you’re not having déjà vu. This isn’t the first time that the US government has threatened TikTok with a ban. (Interesting that both the Trump and Biden administration are in agreement over anything, and that this is it.) Will it be the last? Probably not. But why is it the talk of the town again?
Our own Mr. Chew (Derek, not previous-Facebook-intern-turned-TikTok-CEO Shou Zi) asks some really relevant questions:
There’s a very real possibility that there isn’t anything we are missing on our own–but it does lead one to wonder what they aren’t telling us. ? Speculations abound.
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Privacy Concerns.
Criticisms for being a Chinese-owned info gathering, data stealing, identity tracking entity, ByteDance parent company of TikTok are coming down from the top. The FBI has claimed that fact poses a national security risk. A ban was passed in December last year for any government-issued device to have TikTok installed.
The US isn’t the only country pulling the reins on this app: at least 14 other countries have put TikTok in a time out including India, Australia, and Canada. The trouble is that domestic AND foreign companies conducting business in China are obligated to share their data with the government if requested, as per Chinese national security laws. This has raised concerns regarding the potential misuse of this extensive authority by the ruling Communist Party of China to gather confidential intellectual property, proprietary commercial information, and personal data.
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Privacy Concerns Who?
The rumblings continue to roll out as more discussions by US officials are ongoing. The administration has cited further, more extensive bans are needed to be considered to protect the privacy of Americans (which is really funny if you think about it, considering the Big Brother our government has implemented over its own citizens).
A part of the problem this time around is that the ban is much more broad–so much so that people are concerned over the reach this bill may crack the door for in the future. Those in charge are stating that this bill does not in any way target individuals rights, however.
“The RESTRICT Act is focused on foreign corporations, not on users. The 1st Amendment protects Americans’ right to share and receive information – and this bill doesn’t alter that.”
– Sen. Mark Warner, Twitter
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Not Zuck!
At least, not yet. With TikTok getting the most attention with the newest proposed ban due to its foreign associations, Meta may be flying under the radar (or paying certain folks to look the other way). So, what does this mean for Mark Zuckerberg and his social media empire?
According to the above chart from We Are Social, Meta owns 40% of the most-used social media platforms in the entire world. ? Impressively large names like Pinterest, Twitter, and Snapchat look like David, leaving the Goliaths YouTube and TikTok as the major competitors. And, as we know, the latter is on questionable ground making it less likely that Meta will be displaced anytime soon as one of the top dogs.
That confidence has been increasing in stakeholders and investors as evidenced by Meta’s recovering stock value. If this wider ban does go through, it might just be that thing that helps Zuck secure his legacy into the future of social media.
So the question is, will TikTok ultimately be banned completely in the US in the coming months or will it slide by regulation? Either way, all the current hoopla means things are shaking up, and Meta is catching the splash.
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