Why a Tiktok ban might be a bad idea

Allright, everything’s probably already said and done about this, but I’m going to give you my European two cents anyway. Why? Because it’s the internet and I can. Free speech for the win! So, as you might have heard, the US is planning on a big biiiiig Tiktok ban. Why? The US thinks China is a big bad man who actually controls one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. And we all know that China can be a very bad kid, as they’ve proven with the stuff that’s going on with the Uyghurs. So, the US’ concerns might actually be valid. BUT, in this blog article I’m going to play the devil’s advocate and shine some light on why it might be a bad idea to ban Tiktok (in the US).

Tiktok for businesses

Let’s jump in with (in my belief) the most obvious reason why banning Tiktok might be a bad move. The positive effect the platform has had on numerous businesses. I can’t scroll on my for you page for a couple of minutes without people on Tiktok praising certain businesses, especially food related ones. A few months ago, the only places I knew of where you could get cookies were the supermarket, Subway and maybe a McDonalds. Well, apparently there is this huge cookie company called Crumbl which sells cookies the size of someone’s face. Pretty Americanesque if you ask me. Little fun side note: some of these sugar soaked ‘snacks’ can contain anywhere from 800 to a 1000 calories per cookie. Again, pretty Americanesque.

Keith Lee

This reason is somewhat of an extension of the previous reason. While in the previous reason I spoke about big companies, this one is aimed at small and local businesses. Keith Lee (not the professional WWE wrestler) is a food critic and at the same time one of the most well-known influencers on the platform who promotes small and local restaurants. How? Well, this guy instructs his 16 million followers to swarm a restaurant when he likes their food. Pretty straight forward concept and it seems to work. Numerous restaurants have gone from 0 to 100 overnight just because of Keith’s taste buds. Showing us that Tiktok can have a very positive effect on certain parts of society. I think it’s fair to say Keith is a 21st century messiah in some way, well, at least for local food establishments. We’ll call him the ‘Savoury Saviour’ from now on.

Tiktok for education

To most people over the age of 40 this probably sounds like I’m part of the Chinese government, but Tiktok can actually provide you with quite some educational content. My personal ‘for you page’, and thus the Tiktok algorithm, has showed me numerous videos on historical events such as the second world war or the fall and rise of the Mongol Empire. The only issue with this is that I might have grown a slight interest in history over the past couple of years. Children and even adolescents generally aren’t that interested in history and other topics that could come across as boring to some. Can you blame them? No, of course not. Back when I was a teenager, the only historical fact I was interested in was my own birthday. But, on a more serious note. Seeing that it is possible for users to be shown actual educational content, I think this can be put to good use in the future.

Freedom of speech

I think we’ve arrived at one of the most serious reasons as to why it could be a bad thing to ban Tiktok in the US. The freedom of speech. In the western world we are used to catapulting our thoughts and opinions into the world, using platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. You might think the platforms I just named all promote free speech, but the opposite is actually true. Over the years we’ve seen people get banned just because of spreading their political view or ideology. Donald Trump got banned from Facebook and Instagram while the Senate acquitted him after tweets he posted leading to the attack of the US Capitol. I know that it wasn’t very smart of him to convince his voters to storm the Capitol, but still. Silencing people on social media is not the way to go. Twitter also banned Trump from their platform, but ever since Elon Musk is the new CEO, the former president of the United States can go back to inciting riots.

Back to the freedom of speech and Tiktok. The Chinese platform allows everyone to post their personal view or belief. If the US truly believes they are a democracy and want to live up to that, then this is the way to go. Not censoring political views from people whom they don’t agree with. And I have to admit, it does seem like the media in the US is a little more left wing oriented. For anyone wondering if Twitter might be the best option for free speech at the moment. I don’t think a platform supporting NSFW content is the way to go. At least not in the short term.

Tiktok vs Instagram

I see a lot of people compare the two of these to each other. A couple of years ago Instagram felt the competition of Tiktok swooping their way, so they themselves introduced a short form option. Reels. While the two look pretty similar on the surface, I personally feel like they are quite different. Instagram is still predominantly used as a platform to promote people’s personal achievements and well-lit vacation pics. This feels a little artificial. Tiktok on the other hand seems like a way more genuine approach to share content. Personally, I don’t know if Instagram can shift this in the near future. But if they somehow manage to do so and create a platform that looks and feels a little more like Tiktok, I believe Meta (Instagram’s parent company) will hold the two most powerful platforms in the world. Meta already owns the world's most popular platform with Facebook. Youtube currently is the second most popular social media platform.

The solution for the US

As I’ve previously mentioned, completely banning Tiktok might not be the right way to go. What might be the right solution for the US? Some people suggest that the US should force TikTok to separate from its parent company, ByteDance, or even ban the app altogether. President Joe Biden recently signed a law that would ban a Chinese-owned TikTok unless it is sold within a year. But I feel like there are other options that could be explored, because I don't think Tiktok selling their company to a US investor is going to be that easy. ByteDance know they have one of the most-valuable social media platforms on hand and they probably won't sell it for a pittance.

For example, the US could push for stricter data protection laws that require TikTok to store all American user information within the US and limit who can access it. This could reduce the fears about Chinese influence. Another approach might be to increase transparency by requiring TikTok to allow regular audits of their algorithms and user information. I’m not sure if these measures would completely take away the concerns, but they could be steps in the right direction. If the US manages to implement these measurements, I think it could help take away some of the fears about TikTok while still allowing Americans to enjoy the platform.

What will replace Tiktok after a ban?

What will we do? Where do we go? Good, but tough question. Since I’m European, I don’t think a lot is going to change for me. On the other hand, banning the US from one of the most popular and influential social media platforms will of course stir up some shit. Tiktok has become a worldwide phenomenon. Stupid dance trends, viral chocolate bars and of course the Hawk Tuah girl. What is going to fill this void?

As we’ve discussed, Reels might be the most obvious successor. Instagram’s already taken a page out of TikTok’s blueprint by adding short-form video content, and they could easily double down on that. Maybe they tweak the algorithm, make it look even more like TikTok, and boom. Problem solved, right? But here’s where it gets tricky. If Instagram, or more accurately Meta, leans too hard into this, we might end up with a social media monopoly. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I want one company having that much control.

So, is there another solution? Hear me out on this next one. A competition like America’s Got Talent, but this time it’s solely for people to come up with the next big short-form video platform. Turn it into a TV show and let Simon Cowell be one of the judges. Sounds like a wildly successful idea to me. I’m always free to discuss this idea with anyone who offers me a big bag of money. And a few of those Crumbl cookies.

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