Avi Joshi ‘26 is a prospective English and education major. He is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Wind Ensemble. Contact him at asjoshi@wm.edu.
The views expressed in this opinion are the author’s own.
Besides the LA fires, some of the hottest news out right now revolves around the recent TikTok ban. On Saturday, January 18th, TikTok went dark and as of right now, the app cannot be downloaded but can be accessed by those who still had it downloaded. Those who could use the app after the brief period it was down were met with a message that says, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!”
Now, personally, I hate TikTok. In my experience with the app, I found a constant sense of panic every time I opened it; I could never find what I was looking for or what I was even trying to find. Yeah, some of the videos were funny and honestly, I saw a lot more news on there — from various sources — then I ever did trying to find news myself. However, none of that changes my opinion that the potential of TikTok being permanently banned (Trump may have saved it for a brief period, but it will take a lot of work to reverse the bill that banned TikTok) should be looked at as a breath of fresh air.
I first uninstalled TikTok at the beginning of last semester. Originally, I thought it would be a little difficult, just because of how natural it was to pull out my phone and get my fix. However, I found myself realizing how little I felt like actually going on it. I started to look back and see the app in a very negative light, as more of a tool for control. I asked why the hell does TikTok have such a grip on younger generations (especially mine)? I understand the argument that TikTok and other social media apps are tools for connection, but I would also say they are tools for distraction.
LA is burning, people are dying left and right all over the world, but we need to talk about TikTok. And the 60 rich, old lizards that own this country — who don’t give a sh—t about TikTok, politics, you and most certainly me — are laughing at us. But let’s not get into conspiracies; the point is that we have wasted too much time scrolling (on TikTok and other apps). It has fried our brains and placed us into tech prisons that slowly sap the energy from our lives. A comfortable prison but a prison nonetheless.
The other thing I want to address is Trump’s involvement with the app. I don’t like Trump and I found the message that appears for those who can still use the app quite alarming. Whether I like it or not, his “save” of TikTok is going to get him a lot of brownie points with young people. When I see that message, I don’t think, “Oh nice, TikTok’s up.” I go, “Oh no, the rambo-like image that Trump has been creating for years is only going to be fueled even harder, and millions of young Americans are going to give this guy a pass because he brought back our favorite drug.” Yes, this is a bleak generalization, but is it really that hard to imagine? A lot of us didn’t even imagine Trump getting back into office, so I don’t see this generalization as being that off.
Whatever happens with TikTok, I think you should keep it off your phone. I think you should stop watching car crashes on reels. The only creator who gets a pass in my head is Vsauce on Youtube shorts, that guy rules. In all seriousness, let’s let TikTok go, people.