I get the CCP thing, I get it. But, I'm not sure why I see so many people just dancing around about TikTok getting banned when there are consequences as well. Banning it loses one of the only big youth right-wing voices that exist online and I'm worried about that.
I've been on Tiktok for over a year and it has a HUGE Trump, conservative and right wing voice and presence. It's the only social media app that not only allows it, but seems to overshadow the left. And keep in mind these are zoomer voices, which directly counters the overwhelming BLM shit from places like Reddit, Twitter, Insta to a degree and offers zoomers examples that there is another way and it's okay. Lot of Trump kids have hundreds of thousands of followers of other zoomers. Hell, it's the only place at all that I've seen multiple riot videos (ones that would be upvoted to the front page on Reddit bashing the police) where in the comments the vast majority just rip it to shreds and blame the rioters completely backing the blue.
Losing this voice and presence is bad pedes, it's one of the only ones that exist in "big tech". It's unfortunate the China thing is a part of it, is there any solution? I'm not saying it shouldn't be banned if the CCP threat warrants the ban, but this isn't without consequences. Just because you're a boomer who thinks the app is cringe so good I'm glad it's gone, don't discount the fact that it's pretty based, that it isn't all degeneracy on there and that there are a LOT of voices with right-wing influence that will be silenced.
Because the only reason China allows a conservative presence is so they can gather data on them. Then, once they understand how they think, they can use advanced AI to manipulate what they believe by changing what shows up on their feed. That's why social media is such a huge weapon. It can influence people in the millions or tens of millions to believe something, and to believe that they formed that opinion themselves. Think inception. It is psyops at the highest level, and China having been doing it for the last decade or so is why so many people seem to hate America today. You don't take food from a farmer just because he hasn't sent you to the slaughterhouse yet, you get the fuck off the farm before it's too late.
Good response thanks. I just hope there can be another place all these kids go to with a strong red voice it seems everywhere else silences them completely like Reddit and it infuriates me
If we've learned anything from the Reddit's censoring of the original TD it's that silencing dissent does not work if even one other avenue for expressing opinions exists. The kids will find another outlet. Snapchat died, TikTok is dying, the free market will create something better and newer to take its place. IMO, people under the age of 18 should be forced to remain anonymous online to protect them from manipulation, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.