The ban and revival of TikTok

On Jan. 18, the app TikTok went dark.
Users who opened the app got a message saying “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
Then message then stated, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”
Before the app was banned, many users were speculating the reasons why?
“I felt that it was a blatant and obvious attempt at censorship. The government clearly feels threatened by the fact that we are able to access so much information through so many sources and people,” said VTSU Castleton student Erin Forkin.
Fellow student Caitlin Connolly viewed the banning in a different light. She was less concerned about the information she’d be missing out on because none of us would have access to the app.
“I was fine with that because nobody else would have it so it wouldn’t be like I’m missing out on anything on TikTok,” she said.

The app was banned earlier than anyone expected. Users were shocked and disappointed when they realized they couldn’t get back in the app.
“I freaked out when it first got banned because it was two hours early and my TikTok was lagging so I exited out of it and refreshed it and all of sudden it just stopped working,” student Carly Centeno said.
Although the ban was upsetting, Forkin had hopes it would lead to less screen time.
“I kept it on my phone because I was curious, but I felt relieved that I wouldn’t be on my phone as much and less likely to doom scroll for too long,” Forkin said.
To the surprise of many, the app was only banned for about 12 hours. When people returned to the app, they received another notification similar to the one before the ban.
It read, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Some found the messages confusing or a little misleading.
“That honestly shocked me since I knew trump was against TikTok, but all of a sudden, his views changed. MAGA’s were even speaking out about how our generation should be ‘grateful’ that he’s trying, but last time TikTok was on the chopping block they were supportive of a ban,” Forkin said.

“It immediately started processing with me that it’s a publicity stunt to try and make people think he’s not so bad. Or, I felt they were going to give it back and it would be different and super censored. When I saw the “thank you Trump” when it was back, I honestly was super frustrated. Some people are uneducated or ignorant enough to think that he has good intentions with this. It’s all for control and money really,” she said.
For Connolly, she deleted the app assuming the ban would be permanent and since then the app has been deleted off the app store. When searched in the app store, a message appears stating that the app is “not available in your country or region.”
So, it seems the app is banned for some and not others.
Even those who do have the app back and running say it seems different.
“I do believe the CEO of TikTok did something that made the app somewhat different, like my For You page was not the same anymore and I am very nervous that they sold the app to META, which would ruin TikTok,” Centeno said.
Forkin has also noticed something different about her For You page.
“I’ve seen less videos that relate to politics, and some are topics or things I’ve never seen on my for you page before,” she said.
TikTok is back for some but not all, and even though it’s available it’s not the same as it was before the ban. What’s next for TikTok?
