“Sorry, TikTok is not available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” This pop-up message loomed across the app, impending its demise on Jan. 19. For the 12 hours TikTok was banned, Gen-Z went into an existential crisis, pondered and went silent. For what felt like an eternity, the ban put 140 million users on edge, asking what their lives would be like after TikTok disappeared. However, the next morning TikTok came back as if the ban had never happened. What would have happened if the app was not given an extension? What if the TikTok ban was permanent?
Whether it is breaking news, get-ready-with-me videos or just the latest discussion about new films, TikTok will always be in the middle of it. I can say that this app is where I stay grounded and connected. Truthfully, without TikTok, the majority of its users, including me, might not have the same level of cultural understanding or such a solid sense of identity.
TikTok has numerous functions, but most importantly it serves as a news outlet. Whenever something dangerous is happening in an area across the world, it helps keep users aware and stay safe and alert. If it was not for Halley Kate McGookin, who shared her viral story on how she suffered abuse on the streets of New York City, 12 other women may have not had the courage to speak up about how they too had been randomly assaulted while walking in New York’s downtown or midtown neighborhoods.
Apart from being a source of information, social media has become a retreat for many people. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, real-life social interactions have deteriorated; with the emergence of TikTok around the same time, it filled in the voids people sought to fill. As the digital era in our generation booms, the app has become an integral part of how we communicate and form new relationships.
The ban on TikTok would extend far beyond entertainment. It is not only a place of comfort, but also a place to become an entrepreneur or self-employed. The number of small business owners and content creators that make an income due to the app is plenty, and if it were to be banned, their income would fall short. People use this app to market their businesses, share tips on how to handle different situations — which has always been important to me as a young black woman finding her way through life — and share videos with their friends that may be relatable or simply humorous.
Of course, some may argue that TikTok diminishes the youth and allows for the internet to control their mental health. However, is it just TikTok, or is it the use of the internet as a whole? Think of apps like Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. What do they all have in common? The internet. Yet, no one is quick to ban those apps, so why TikTok?
Creators like Katie Fang grew up with little to nothing, and have become a social media phenomenon in just a few years on TikTok. I myself have been innocently scrolling on TikTok and come upon live videos where domestic abuse victims or single mothers appeared, pleading for any type of donations amongst the thousands of others that, by fate, ended up on that same live video.
TikTok has been a staple in numerous lives for the past couple of years. When the world lost Musical.ly, some thought that our sense of creativity had been stripped away from us. I would never have imagined that TikTok would appear, an app that not only replaced Musical.ly but excelled it by offering a wider variety of content beyond just lip-synching. TikTok has a more advanced algorithm for discovering new videos, and boasts more features like filters, editing tools and interactive options, making it a more diverse and engaging platform overall.
Whether TikTok becomes banned or stays with us, it is without argument that the generations who lived with the app will never forget it.
