The Demise(?) of TikTok
Photo by Dylan Ryu.
With the temporary TikTok removal stunt over, many who deleted the app are stuck without it. Are you one of them?
Slime videos, dance trends and truly “influential” advice are all being abandoned in the wake of the TikTok ban. In an event that many people were too sure wouldn't happen, TikTok was banned in the United States on Sunday, Jan. 19. This is the result of a long course of action in attempt to ban the app, including the recent upholding of the ban by the Supreme Court in TikTok, Inc v. Garland. The app is finally reaching its end in the States, much to the chagrin,or perhaps delight,of many Santa Clara University students.
However, with President Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, the app is coming back online for some people, while some are still attempting and failing to access the app. According to Trump's executive order, the ban will be tentatively delayed for 75 days. The future of TikTok is unclear, but let's take a look back at recent debate and discussion over the app.
TikTok is an incredibly popular and relevant app. The app's algorithm has gained fame because of the way it tailors the user's feed to their likes and interests. It's not creepy unless you think about it too hard. The app has also come under fire for being addictive and harmful, especially to young people. Macha Karpov ’27 confided, “I kinda hope it gets banned cause I’m really addicted to my phone.” Maybe she was being sarcastic?
The app was banned over security concerns due to its Chinese parent-company, not because of college students spending several hours a day on it instead of doing homework. Students know this as well, with Eduardo Bueno ’26 saying, “I think it’s kind of useless cause people are just going to shift to another platform. People don’t really care about, like, their data being used by the Chinese government. Facebook has been charged with stealing people’s data, so it’s not really a valid excuse.” Yeah! If no one cares when Facebook does it, might as well let TikTok.
Regardless of students’ concern,or lack thereof,for their data safety, because of the shutdown other apps can take the place of the popular social media, and likely will. One app called RedNote, which is also based in China, has been gaining popularity. This shift goes to show that the proliferation of apps is generally unmonitored and the banning of one will likely lead to another.
Some students seem open to the ban. One anonymous student said, “I’m not really opposed to it. With TikTok gone, there’s going to be an opportunity for other apps to come. And then, maybe, we’ll find someone better to replace TikTok.” As this student states, it could be interesting to see what comes from the vacuum left by the app.
A few students expressed that they were already using other apps regardless of the ban. Student Henry Simonson ’28 said, “I don’t necessarily care about the TikTok ban because I use Reels more than anything, so it doesn’t really make a difference for me.” Mark Zuckerberg has done it again! Think about the Meta universe: Instagram has been expanding itself with Reels, which mirror TikTok, and Threads, which mirror X. What would Jesse Eisenberg have to say?
But, some TikTok loyalists expressed their sadness over the ban taking place. Of the matter, student Nairah Fraser ’27 noted, “I really hope it doesn’t get banned. TikTok is lowkey amazing; it’s so entertaining, it can be very informative. It’s not all bad or all dangerous, there’s good parts. I get lots of inspiration from there, like fashion. It tailors to your interests so it’s fun.”
And we mustn't forget about TikTok Shop! Student Jaden Battee ’25 said, “I feel like it shouldn't be banned because it brings a lot of exposure to influencers and businesses, especially small businesses. I feel like off of one repost, or one hashtag, a business can go from being known by 50 people to 50,000 people.”
A BBC article highlights that, "The company reported it drove more than $15 [billion] in revenue for these enterprises in 2023." That's a lot of slime! The article also notes that many creators on TikTok are young and driven creators and business owners, and concern over their losses from the ban is not unwarranted.
Will our brave students survive the loss? Stay tuned.