Source : Perth Now news
President-elect Donald Trump has back-flipped on his 2020 TikTok stance opting now to “save it” after a short-lived nation-wide ban in the US and experts say the situation has been used to promote his presidency.
Curtin University internet studies and social media Professor Tama Leaver said the ban was “a political stunt”.
“It seems more like Trump knew exactly what was about to happen,” he said.
“TikTok went dark in the US before it had to so it turned itself off. It wasn’t legally required to do so and the message that they put up was as close to saying, please support us and turn us back on Trump.
“It was a real way of saying, ‘We recognise the importance of Donald Trump, which is what Donald Trump wants to hear.”
The TikTok ban was enacted on January 19 and the app officially went dark for millions of Americans on Sunday morning AWST before being reinstated half a day later.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” the alert read.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.”
Users’ heartbreak was short-lived and the popular video app was reinstated on Monday morning AWST following Mr Trump’s vow to issue an executive order postponing the ban.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Mr Trump said to his pre-inauguration rally in Washington DC on Sunday night.
“Frankly, we have no choice, we have to save it.”
TikTok publicly credited the upcoming President for making the reversal possible.
“Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!” the message read.
“You can continue to create, share and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
Professor Leaver said TikTok’s entwinement with Mr Trump’s inauguration was concerning for social media users on many platforms.
“I just think it’s a really worrying sign to see all of the tech leaders in America lining up to hand over money for Trump’s inauguration and to pay faculty,” he said.
“It’s not just TikTok. We’re talking about all the big platforms. And I think it’s quite a worrying sign that we’re going to see a wholesale shift to the right for all social media, which is not a good thing for Australians who don’t have the same political polarisation.”
Users of the popular platform had mixed responses to the situation and some are irritated with the “publicity stunt”.
US influencers have sheepishly run back to the platform after quickly jumping ship to fellow Chinese social media app RedNote and Meta’s Instagram.
Before the ban some creators published tearful goodbyes and embarrassing truths under the guise the app would be unavailable permanently.
Lexi Hidalgo boasts a following of 2.7 million followers and confessed — in a since-deleted video — she lied in her highly-viewed TikTok series.
“There’s one more secret I feel I have to share with you. I never once drank the coffee I made in my coffee talks. And I only did like half of the workouts I posted,” she said in the viral ‘confessional’ trend.
Professor Leaver believes politicians are not recognising the severity the ban could have on users.
“TikTok users and creators have been kicked around like a political football, with neither side of US politics taking seriously the impact such a ban could have had on the millions of people who rely on TikTok for a living,” he said.
According to the app, TikTok has more than 170 million users in the US and more than 8.5 million users in Australia.
