It’s been an emotional week for American TikTok users. Graphic by Eleanor Angelly.

REESE PARADOWSKI | OPINION COLUMNIST | rparadowski@butler.edu  

The Supreme Court of the United States — which historically has ruled in favor of the First Amendment — has failed Americans by censoring their right to freedom of speech by upholding the law to ban TikTok.

Banning apps is the antithesis of free speech and democracy. Countries with dictatorships and limited free speech — like North Korea and Russia — ban apps. Does the U.S. government really want to follow in their footsteps? 

The app was created by the Chinese company ByteDance in 2016, and American lawmakers have voiced concerns about national security due to the involvement of the Chinese government in Americans’ data. 

These concerns have been ongoing for the past decade, starting in 2019 when the Pentagon banned TikTok from all U.S. military-affiliated phones. Then in February 2023, the Biden Administration required all government officials with government-issued phones to delete the app. Both events were done out of fear of the Chinese government using the app as a political tool to undermine the United States.

Interestingly, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Crew, is not even Chinese. In March 2023 during a congressional hearing, an American lawmaker seemed to not know the difference between Chinese and Singaporean ethnicities — and accused him of being a part of the Chinese Communist Party — which is false.

That hearing gave me confidence and hope that others can see what TikTok really is — an app that serves as a source of entertainment and inspiration. But, obviously, The Supreme Court and American lawmakers don’t care about the interests of young Americans and went forward with the bill to ban TikTok anyway.

The TikTok ban in the United States was enacted for less than 24 hours. Ironically, the same man who signed an executive order to ban the app in 2020 has now performed a complete 180 against the bill. I can only assume this is Donald Trump’s attempt to gain youth support, a group he has historically failed to sway. 

Both of the recent pop-up messages on TikTok, including the announcement of the ban and the reversing of the ban, mentioned Donald Trump in a positive light. Trump now has friendly relationships with every major social media platform CEO: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, and now Shou Zi Crew. All three attended Trump’s second inauguration, and this seems to be the beginning of right-wing control of social media. 

The power these four men have over our nation is concerning and frightening. Censoring Americans’ speech can happen at the snap of their fingers. When I think of the word “oligarchy” I think about the president and his technocrats. 

Now that America’s elite billionaires control the government and the media — and the market, thanks to Jeff Bezos — Trump has all the resources he needs to do whatever he wants, unchecked. 

But before Trump formed his camaraderie with the big tech leaders, TikTok was a platform that attracted Americans, promoting creativity and free expression.

The app has more than 170 million American users, with only 32% of American adults supporting the government’s banning of the app. 

TikTok’s short-form visual storytelling has hooked the hearts of Gen Z. Years of dancing, cooking, beauty, lifestyle, sports and everything in between have inspired users all while creating connections and opportunities for many.

Annie Weaver, a sophomore data science and mathematics double major said she uses TikTok every day.

“It’s nice to [scroll TikTok] when I need a short break,” Weaver said. “If it gets banned, losing all my liked and saved videos is what [I will be] dreading the most [if it gets banned permanently].”

As someone who has actively been on the app for almost five years, I have curated my liked and saved videos to perfection — and it truly reflects my personality and interests.  

Over the years, many pop culture moments have been dramatized or turned into TikTok trends. This form of entertainment is at the core of Gen Z’s identity and taking that away is detrimental to American society and culture. 

No other app compares to the memories and eras that shaped TikTok into a global phenomenon.

Senior accounting major Katie Baumgartle says TikTok will have a lasting impact on society. 

“I don’t like the ban, I feel they’re repeating the cycle,” Baumgartle said. “This happened to Vine and Musical.ly. If it gets banned for good, there will probably be a new app that is almost the exact same but with a different name.”

To be clear, Vine was shut down due to new competitors including TikTok; Musical.ly was bought by ByteDance and merged with TikTok. Nevertheless, the social media community felt the losses of the once-popular apps.

However, possibly the biggest shift surrounding the ban is how people get their news. Since 2020, the amount of TikTok users who get news via TikTok has shot up from 22% to 52%. And as of 2024, 39% of users aged 18 to 29 regularly get news on the app.

Senior economics major Lauren Crimmins says TikTok is the reason she hears about the news.

“It’s definitely my main source of news,” Crimmins said. “The submersible that imploded when they were going to see the Titanic — that’s how I found out, the healthcare CEO assassination — that’s how I found out, the wildfires in California — that’s how I found out.”

As college students with busy schedules, we can be informed about important news by scrolling through TikTok more efficiently than by reading a news article or going on other social media platforms. If there is a permanent ban, I predict that young adults will be less informed about current events. 

The peculiar timing of the ban and unban cannot go without mentioning — the day before Trump’s inauguration — everything is magically saved. Also, my TikTok algorithm has had overwhelming Trump inaugural content in replacement of the normal news I usually receive. 

“All the big global events that are important for us to know about, I found out on TikTok the day of,” Crimmins said. “I don’t have time to sit and watch the news.”

While it is true that TikTok served as an efficient news communication platform, all that may change now that Trump has major influence and connections with leaders of TikTok. 

Although the future of social media platforms is uncertain, I’m excited to see what our generation will discover to create new memories and innovations. The history book of social media platforms, including Vine and Musical.ly, proves that we are always two steps ahead in making sure our voices are heard through social media. TikTok will be looked back on as the entertaining and inspirational app of the early 21st century. When my grandchildren ask me: “Did you have TikTok?”

Yes, yes I did.

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