Last week, Governor Greg Gianforte signed a law making it illegal for Montana residents to use TikTok. The first of its kind, the law won’t take effect until January 1, 2024, but already there are rumblings of a legal battle. Five lawsuits have already been filed citing an unconstitutional violation of free speech.
Owned by Chinese Beijing-based internet company ByteDance, the app first arrived Stateside in August 2018. Two months later, TikTok became the most downloaded app in the United States, surpassing Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. TikTok has since evolved into a bottomless well of content in which users sometimes post videos that “speak” to each other in side-by-side postings—known on the app as duets. Trends move quickly through the medium.
With any social media, there are positives and negatives. In TikTok’s case, the #FYP (For You page) algorithm can catapult seemingly random creators to fame. Charli D’Amelio (@charlidamelio) amassed 10,000 followers in a matter of hours after posting a video duet of her dancing with @movewithjoy. D’Amelio currently holds the crown as the most followed TikTok user in the United States. Miami U student Alix Earle’s (@alixearle) #GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos made her a household name, and Jake Shane (@Octopusslover8) became an overnight comedic sensation following a viral video of him casually reenacting the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Regulators, however, question the app’s management of the privacy of its users. The Trump administration attempted to ban the app in 2020, and, following an intense congressional hearing with TikTok’s chief executive officer, Shou Zi Chew, President Biden strongly urged greater control. When asked point blank if there was any concern about US data being used by the Chinese government, Chew’s response was straight to the point. “ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.
The question remains: What would happen if our #FYPs suddenly went silent? We spoke with journalist and author of TikTok Boom: China’s Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media Chris Stokel-Walker, to get a bit more insight.
What drew you to TikTok in the first place and what would you say is the overall allure?