Introduction
Even though TikTok is a relatively new platform, its popularity highlights that it is one of the main video hosting websites worldwide. Due to certain allegations and the nature of TikTok’s parent company, the media platform has become increasingly associated with unethical data management. The current paper highlights the effect of positive and negative media coverage, its effect correlating with the disadvantageous and supporting public opinion, as well as its detrimental effect on the audience of various information systems.
Background
TikTok popularity has undeniably become a concern due to the company’s background. The Trump administration has reported that TikTok sells user data to the Chinese government, which has become a public concern (Indrayani & Maharani, 2022). Even though the platform was not banned in the USA altogether, it was prohibited from being downloaded and used on government devices due to security reasons. ByteDance, the parent company, has been partnering with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, a government entity that could potentially receive private data from the corporation.
Media Portrayal
As highlighted prior, the initiative was first publicly acknowledged by the Trump administration. The aim was, on the one hand, criticized as a repressive measure to limit speech. Namely, various outlets have highlighted that banning TikTok in the US is a potential violation of the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech (Groseth, 2020). As TikTok users would be limited in expressing their views, the decision to prohibit them from using a platform where they could share their opinions would be a constitutional violation, according to the media. On the other hand, it was acknowledged that national security is at stake (Groseth, 2020). It can be argued that media coverage depended on the political affiliation of the platform covering the news, with more Democratic outlets arguing against the objective and Republican ones highlighting the impact on national security.
Public Reaction
Determining the target demographic of people using TikTok in regards to their reaction to the potential ban is essential to determine the reaction. TikTok has one billion active users (Bhandari & Bimo, 2022). A large number of the accounts are American, which implies that multiple people would be, directly or indirectly, affected by the veto. Moreover, most users are within the adolescent age bracket (Montag et al., 2021). Hence, the reaction among this particular demographic was rather negative.
On the other hand, the individuals who are more likely to read the news and be influenced by the media through articles or political commentary on the topic are an older demographic. As a result, poles highlighted that two in three Americans support the ban (Silver, 2023). The demographic using TikTok and consuming media content against the ban did start a social movement against the infringement of speech online (ACLU, 2023). Individuals whose small businesses and income depended on the platform were at the forefront of the protests.
Global Reaction
Banning TikTok is not merely an American initiative but one that has been successfully implemented globally. India is an example of a country where the government has decided against allowing the platform due to national security reasons (Kumar & Thussu, 2023). The decision, however, was met with support from the general public. Researchers mention that the media was overwhelmingly supportive of the initiative that was being portrayed as a step toward digital sovereignty and an exemplification of the protection of user data (Kumar & Thussu, 2023). The ethics employed by TikTok when it comes to data management is a global concern, and the international media often acknowledges the dangers correlating with the use of the platform.
Information Systems
There is an intrinsic difference between the portrayal of TikTok in media associating with left and right-wing politics. The left-wing systems, including articles, YouTube commentators, and other forms of content, were likely to focus on the topic of freedom of speech and its infringement through the ban. On the other hand, opposing systems were likely to focus on the nature of the platform and its affiliation with Chinese authorities. Researchers point out that the discrimination of the Chinese government was a major phenomenon regarding the media coverage of the event (Groseth, 2020). The reaction is important to analyze as it facilitates an understanding of how media portrays a phenomenon, which, in turn, has a positive or negative effect on the audience’s reaction.
Conclusion
The aims to ban TikTok in the US have generated both positive and negative public opinions. Partly, it is the impact of the difference in media coverage. The information systems portraying the event as an infringement on the freedom of speech were likely to inspire the audience to be against the ban. On the other hand, platforms advocating for national security at the expense of prohibiting video hosting platforms were motivating the public to support the government initiative.
References
ACLU. (2023). Banning TikTok is a really bad idea. American Civil Liberties Union. Web.
Bhandari, A., & Bimo, S. (2022). Why’s everyone on TikTok now? The algorithmized self and the future of self-making on social media. Social Media + Society, 8(1). Web.
Groseth, C. (2020). An economic analysis of banning TikTok: How to weigh the competing interests of national security and free speech in social media platforms. SSRN Electronic Journal. Web.
Indrayani, I., & Maharani, T. (2022). The United State’s national security protection from cybercrime threats: A case study of Tik Tok banning submission by President Donald Trump in 2020. Journal of Social Political Sciences, 3(3), 268–280. Web.
Kumar, A., & Thussu, D. (2023). Media, digital sovereignty and geopolitics: The case of the Tiktok Ban in India. Media, Culture & Society. Web.
Montag, C., Yang, H., & Elhai, J. D. (2021). On the psychology of TikTok use: A first glimpse from empirical findings. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. Web.
Silver, L. (2023). By more than two-to-one, Americans support the U.S. government banning TikTok. Pew Research Center. Web.