Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or stuck for hours on end in an arch studio), you know that Tik Tok is on the brink of banishment. The stipulations and loopholes that are present could essentially mean that, if the Chinese company that owns the social media app sold it to an American company, politicians in DC would be satisfied enough to keep the app open to Americans. But I’m not here to talk about the politics side… I’d just embarrass myself. And frankly, there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. What I can impart on you is why I think Tik Tok is more than just a social media app, and why its banishment would have effects beyond the app itself.
Enter March 2020. We all know what happened then. I, a sophomore in high school, downloaded Tik Tok for the first time. The sounds (“Savage” will forever remind me of the lockdown) and trends of the time entertained me for hours. But what captivated me for even more hours was my own motivation. My “For You Page” very quickly integrated the trends and my own interest in art into my own custom feed. Feeling inspired, I tried my hand at creating a viral art video. Pairing viral sounds with a cartoon doodle, zentangle design, or tutorial, I thought I would crack the code. My socially aware handle, “art.for.amateurs” acknowledged my juvenile style of art, but my passion for the activity. Needless to say, none of my Tik Toks received an impressive amount of likes. But for the year we were to stay home, where many people found themselves bored and unmotivated, I was happy, exercising my creative mind while also occupying my time in a non-repetitive way (while also not burning out my retinas watching 10 hours of Tik Tok a day… most of the time).
As of now I like to post my own form of inspirational content in the form of my own running reels. If Tik Tok does get banned, and we’re forced to condense to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, I don’t think the same amount of people will get the same inspiration as they do on Tik Tok (from me or from others). Instagram reels, as it is now, is largely reuploaded Tik Toks or advertisements. YouTube shorts are essentially highlight reels and virtual tabloids, not exactly a stomping ground for inspiration. More than a political issue, Tik Tok has defined our generation, and its banishment will be like taking away a part of who we are.
