Speculation has been rampant in the city of Clemson and across social media regarding the potential ban of the social media app TikTok in the United States.
On Sunday, Jan. 19, the app is projected to be completely banned from the United States territories. TikTok officials claim that on that date, TikTok users in the United States may receive an indication on their screen when they open the app with the phrase, “The service is no longer available in the country,” according to National Public Radio.
“What ultimately happens with TikTok will drastically shape the social media landscape,” Brandon Boatwright, Clemson University’s Social Media Listening Center director, told The Tiger in an email. “In its absence, YouTube and Instagram stand to benefit from the mass exodus with visual, short-form content at such a premium.
“I think it’s easy for people to forget just how much money is tied up in the creator economy on social media. Regardless of what platforms are available, people are going to find ways to get their content to their target audience. It’s just a big game of whack-a-mole,” Boatwright continued.
The TikTok ban does not jeopardize the accessibility of other social media apps, such as Instagram and YouTube. These apps will potentially see a large increase in numbers due to the TikTok ban.
Further, the Supreme Court concluded yesterday morning that the H.R.7521 Bill, otherwise known as The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, does not violate the First Amendment in a unanimous decision.
The H.R.7521 Bill was passed by President Joe Biden during his presidency and grants authority to the government to ban “foreign adversary controlled applications, such as TikTok and any successor application or service and any other application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Ltd,” according to the Bill’s language presented in March 2024.
“We have given TikTok a clear choice: Divest from your parent company—which is beholden to the CCP—and remain operational in the U.S. OR side with the Chinese Communist Party and face a ban,” the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce website states.
Since the Supreme Court decided against stopping the implication of authority that was given to Congress, Congress has the power to shut down the app throughout America. This decision made TikTok’s nationwide ban much more likely to happen.
“I think there are way bigger issues that our government should focus on rather than banning an app that poses the same privacy or data threat as any American-founded company,” India Adams, junior political science major at Clemson, told The Tiger in an interview. “Especially in the current state of the political world, it’s ridiculous that the day before the shift between administrations, our national leaders are discussing a social media app.”
In 2023, Clemson University banned students from using the TikTok platform on the school’s campus Wi-Fi network.
“To protect the integrity of information and resources connected to the Clemson network, TikTok will no longer be accessible through the campus network (both wired and Eduroam Wi-Fi), effective Monday, July 10, 2023,” the University wrote in an email statement at the time.
In light of the potential banning of TikTok, a new platform called RedNote has seen increased downloads from American users. Otherwise known as Xiaohongshu, it has been the most downloaded app since Tuesday, according to CBS News.
