
Tensions have been rising in the U.S. as lawmakers have decided to push forward on their ban of TikTok. The ban will be for all U.S. citizens on January 20th, after raising concerns of security because of TikTok’s ties with China.
“I don’t really care, I’m just going to switch to (Instagram) reels,” said Nick Joiner. Joiner’s views reflect a growing idea from many people, who say that they see Instagram reels as a good substitute for TikTok after the ban.
Others have shared skepticism about whether the ban will stick. “I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Lucy Crocker. “They always say they’re going to ban something and don’t. They’re slow on every other issue; why would this be more important?”
Carter Moesch criticized the ban as having a bigger reason behind it, and it being politically motivated rather than grounded in real security concerns. “I disagree with it being banned, not because I use it, but because the only reason it’s banned is because it’s from China. Their logic behind it being a security risk is very sketchy,” he said.
For some, the ban is seen as unimportant rather than a loss. “It’s not that big of a deal because we still have Instagram Reels,” Quinn Whitfield said, agreeing with Nick Joiner, saying there are alternative platforms that are relatively the same.
Emma Faulconer offered a more personal opinion saying, “Honestly, I just don’t really care because I have a life other than TikTok. I frequently touch grass and am not always on my phone, so I’m not taking it to heart. It does suck that all my reposts are going away, because I just love my reposts, but they don’t define me, so it’s fine.”
The ban comes from TikTok’s ownership by Chinese company ByteDance and concerns about national security and data privacy. While some users have already started to change to other platforms, others remain uncertain about the long term effects if this goes forward.
Friday, January 17th NBC News writers Amanda Terkel and Aaron Gilchrist said, “President Joe Biden’s administration said it will be up to President-elect Donald Trump to implement the ban on TikTok (Biden administration says it will leave TikTok ban enforcement for Trump).” Trump has made it clear to the public that he is on the side of TikTok staying and he used it frequently for campaigning for his presidency. This has raised thoughts about if the chosen ban will even be implemented or if it will just go away once Trump is in office.
For now, we will wait to see if the ban will be put into effect. In the lives of millions TikTok and other social media are a big part of their daily lives, but depending on who you ask it’s not a big concern for many.