Zayd Nur, a Washtenaw Technical Middle College student, expresses, “A lot of small businesses would be affected by the TikTok ban.” Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
Alice McGuire | Deputy Editor
For the second time, users of the social media platform TikTok were faced with the possibility of being cut off following the Supreme Court’s decision to ban the app unless it is sold to a US buyer.
On Jan. 19, the app was taken offline briefly before being brought back with a message thanking President Donald Trump for promising to issue an executive order delaying the ban once in office. On April 4, one day before the app was set to go offline again, President Donald Trump granted another 75-day extension to the sell-by deadline.
Rayan Salam, a mass communications instructor at WCC, said that the app being taken offline in Jan. had a significant impact on internet culture, with many users moving to different platforms.
“It really turned into, like, a pop culture moment online,” said Salam, who went on to say that the migration of users from TikTok to RedNote was particularly of interest due to the “cultural clash” between new users from the United States interacting with the existing Chinese user base.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that throughout history,” Salam said.
Salam went on to say that, while the Jan. deadline incited a great deal of fear, users of the platform did not have the same reaction to the April deadline due to understanding that negotiations are underway to reach an agreement.
Sam Joewik, 22, an environmental science major, uses TikTok for entertainment and keeping up to date with news, though she is careful not to fully trust what she sees on the platform before verifying it herself.
Joewik finds the app useful for its ability to convey lots of information in a quick manner, but said that the downside is that it cannot be trusted to be accurate.
“You got to be aware that–anything on the internet, take it with a grain of salt. You got to do your own research for anything you see on there,” Joewik said.
Joewik said that she was “annoyed” with the initial shutdown of the platform and said that she thought that, “if it really was a threat to public security, it wouldn’t have been gone for less than a day.” She proceeded to say that she had “barely even noticed” that the app was set to be banned on April 5.
Aiden Borden, 17, a mechatronics engineering major, does not use TikTok. He feels that the app has done “a little more harm than good,” adding that he preferred to spend his time online learning from YouTube.
Borden said that he felt the app had been beneficial to humanity in that it had given “a place for my generation to go.”
He went on to say that the downside is that those who are on TikTok “a lot” can find that their world revolves more around their online presence than reality.
“It’s a mixed bag, as with everything,” Borden said.
Salman said that the most surprising part of this entire situation was that it has been “eye-opening” to see how many people are turning from traditional professions to making a living off of online content. One of the main things that distinguishes TikTok from other social media platforms is the “TikTok shop,” which enables content creators to earn an income from selling physical products. Many content creators earn their living entirely through TikTok.
“This is a media lesson here that we should never depend on one platform because platforms come and go. They change with time. However, your content should be your content, whatever you’re trying to do,” Salam said.
