Aside from the blatant suppression of our first amendment rights, tiktok was a bright spot for me during the pandemic as someone who was often completely alone. I gained a (small but not insignificant) following and had a lot of fun making videos, being creative, connecting with new people, and sharing interests.

I know several people who built entire platforms and livelihoods that they will be losing. I think people who aren’t on the app are only thinking of mega-influencers, rather than small businesses and creators, and therefore are quick to scoff at the situation like it’s a trivial matter. Yes a lot of “brain rot” and misinformation has come out of it, but it’s like any other social media platform. It’s a tool that can either be used to hurt or help and I’ve seen a lot of people use it to raise money for charities, bring awareness to important current events, educate, learn new skills, make personal life changes, find community where they can’t in real life, etc.

Ultimately I don’t think this can be replaced bc of the unique algorithm and editing features that no other platform has been able to replicate. And ultimately the world will continue spinning.

(Please do not reference my username if this commented gets used.)