Why TikTok Was The App For The People, By The People

Written By: Yareli Brie

Published: 1/13/2025

The Supreme Court has officially announced the ban of TikTok on January 19th. Countless theories are floating around on why exactly the government would go through such great lengths to get the app banned. Officials have tried to outlaw the app for the last year and a half, with no avail, until December 2024. What's funny is how a lot of those who voted to ban the app have accounts themselves. The presidential candidates also took advantage of the app to reach to young Americans to win the election. So why are they taking TikTok away when there are so many other pressing issues in the United States? Why fight to ban an app that unites its citizens, over, lets say... guns?

TikTok has over 1 billion active users-- 170 million being Americans.

Formerly known as Music.ly TikTok was released on September 2016 and was created by Bytedance. The app became popular with Gen Z in 2018 and its popularity continued to soar in 2020 during the pandemic. As the world was on lock down, the app garnered over 100 million users in the United States. With a wide spec of ages, TikTok in 2020 felt like a community. From tutorials on how to make sourdough bread, dance videos, Booktok, to customer service reenactments, it really was an place where you could find your niche, be seen and heard. It also gave undiscovered music artists a way to blow up overnight with the ability to have their song trending all over the world. Booktok kept Barnes & Noble in business. The benefits were astronomical.

TikTok seemed to unite the U.S for the first time in a way no other app had seen before. Creators on the app were able to educate users on racial injustice and systemic oppression, which sadly, yes...the education system didn't really teach anymore. With the help of Twitter and Tiktok, the U.S saw protests all over the country seeking justice for George Floyd's unjustifiable death. Up to 26 million Americans protested around the United States and it was all because of how many people Tiktok and Twitter were able to educate and reach. Despite the awful circumstance, it truly was incredible to watch everyone unite together for the Black Lives Matter Movement.

2020 saw up to 26 million Americans protesting against police brutality in honor of George Floyd.

For the first time, an app at this caliber wasn't created in the U.S, and therefore, wasn't controlled by the media and lobbyists. It was in the hands of the American people and connected us with the world . Americans were able to see what was actually happening in other countries, such as the Russo-Ukraine war, Brexit, and the genocide in Gaza. They were ACTIVELY seeing what was transpiring. It wasn't like reading a newspaper or seeing the news that is manufactured by the media and billionaires- they could actually see what was taking place because of videos the people in those countries were uploading onto TikTok. It felt like the world was a lot closer than it had ever been. Although the genocide in Gaza had been occurring for close to 70 years, this was different. This incited protests all around the world, most notably college campuses. The narrative the U.S had about defending Israel, was no longer excusable by most Americans. This led to asking more and more questions that the government did not seem to like. Having all of us united? That wasn't an option.

Another reason perhaps is that TikTok launched TikTok shop on September 2023, which became a heavy competitor with Amazon. The amazing thing was that the marketing for products were just normal people with affiliate links. This also gave the opportunity for small brands to advertise their company on TikTok and grow their businesses. Thousands of people were making extra income because of the app. The U.S economy's inflation has been difficult to keep up with, so this was great for the average American. Also, competing with Instagram and Facebook with its innovative algorithm, Mark Zuckerberg did not seem to like the competition. What do Amazon, Instagram, and Facebook have in common? Billionaire owners. What could they afford to do? Lobby and buyout politicians in favor of banning TikTok. So, the government has the American people banning together with a narrative they can't manipulate, two billionaires are losing users everyday because of Tiktok, and the media is losing control. Hmm. But, yes- it's totally about China "stealing our data." You know, the data Facebook and Instagram sell? The data Temu uses? ANYWAY.

Although TikTok has been mostly positive, there has also been a downside to the app. The 2024 election concluded with Donald Trump winning and becoming President. The most shocking part however, was that Gen Z was the first generation to vote so conservatively among their demographic. Generations in their twenties have been shown to vote Democratic. With a generation that seemed so progressive, what happened? With the rise of Conservative podcasts targeting young men, it appears they have been brainwashed. The early 2020's saw the likes of Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, and "male centered" podcasts with clips posted on TikTok. Those types of podcasts manipulated young men into thinking the world is conspiring against them and is attacking their "masculinity." They teach that women must be put in their place and Men need to be the breadwinner. Oh, and I guess eat Elk for some reason? It's almost as if the U.S is moving backwards and everything Gen X and Millennials fought for has been for not. Bryce Hall, Logan Paul, Jake Paul -- Youtubers and TikTokers with big platforms have also come out in support of Trump and his ideologies, and so the young boys and men that worship them, will take their word. I still believe that TikTok was rather positive despite this. Those type of men know what they're capable of, and would find a way to reach that audience. TikTok just made it more accessible.

Freedom of Speech. What a concept! There's a price to pay having it, and unfortunately, it does include some opinions not everyone is going to agree with. I've come to the conclusion that some of it will be hateful. But on the other end, how amazing that TikTok let us communicate with each other and share insight or opinions that not many other apps would allow. Was it a way for conspiracy theories to take flight? ABSOLUTELY. It was also a place where truth came out as well. A place where despite different political parties, people could band together. AHEM, Luigi.

Our world is missing community and TikTok gave us that.

Going to end this positive: What did I love about TikTok? Well, I learned a lot that I don't think I would've been able to learn anywhere in under 1 minute. Historical facts, Psychology tips, how to make two ingredient pancakes, and discovered new artists. I loved the comment section and the inside jokes. I get on Instagram and almost cringe-- no, no, I wholeheartedly cringe. Instagram feels like it takes itself way too seriously and are like the "nice" people in High School that secretly judged you behind your back. TikTok feels like the cool kids that didn't care about what others thought about them. They marched to the rhythm of their own drum and talked to everyone, regardless of status. Tiktok feels like a warm inside joke. I will absolutely miss the chaos on there. I will miss my Chinese spy and cherish all of the time spent together.

Thank you TikTok for all of the memories and making me laugh. I'm going to especially miss the people I fought with in the comments-- you all really had my jaw on the ground with the genius level of clapback.

I bid you farewell.