By Fabiha Faruque

It is a newfound source of mass communication widespread. It is an outlet that left a noticeable change on the reins on social media, even for those who avoid it — TikTok. Recently, however, its odds in the US fell into perturbation.

Trump issued an executive order on Thursday that will enact a ban on this social media platform TikTok in the coming 45 days if the parent company, ByteDance Ltd. does not sell the app’s US platform. As a platform owned under a Chinese label, he cited national security concerns claiming that Beijing has access to personal user information gathered by the establishment. 

“This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage,” the president wrote in his mandate.

If this executive order goes into effect, this social networking service will no longer receive support from American companies, app stores, advertisements, or software updates — and in due time, it will become unusable for all users in the US. Ironically, several fitness apps have also been banned, not from the state, but in American military premises because of its tracking elements.

Before that, Microsoft engaged in talks to buy all TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the center of geopolitical conflicts, the trendy globalized social platform had landed as a perfect target for the taken by giant corporations — and even by the White House itself. 

“TikTok has given people a chance to share their ideas, hacks, and talent. Many people have gotten very popular and have been able to get paid for what they do, which also gives kids a chance to make money, to help their families out, and pay for their school tuition,” said Kaitlyn Metelus, and avid user of this app. “I absolutely love TikTok, not only because of the dances and such on there but also because I learned so much from the app that I never learned from school before,” she continued.

Trump had invoked pressure negotiations on ByteDance, urging them to find an American buyer, to which failure to do so by the given deadline of September 15 would result in the app being shut out from this country entirely. If the negotiations went as planned, he demanded a large portion of the sales, whether it is from Microsoft, ByteDance, or another giant corporation, come into the national US Treasury.

TikTok finally responded to the Trump Administration’s executive order on Friday with a public statement on their newsroom site. They criticized his preposition, saying it undermines the trust of global businesses in the US and their commitment to the rule of law.

“We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process. For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed,” the company’s issued statement noted. “We want the 100 million Americans who love our platform because it is your home for expression, entertainment, and connection to know: TikTok has never, and will never, waver in our commitment to you,” they continued near the end.

The threat to downplay the social platform comes one month after a stunt was organized through TikTok, which led to a sparsely-filled June 2020 Trump campaign in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The movement encouraged people to apply for attendance online, only to not show up in the rally later on.

“TikTok has never been perfect,” said Kymani Hughes, an active user of TikTok since 2018. “The app has been revolutionary in the sense that its algorithm craters exactly to you and what you want to see. No other application has been able to promote specific content at a level like which has made TikTok a great place for forming and seeing videos that bring you joy.”

TikTok is an app that has been growing in popularity since it first came out in 2016. This social media platform, a new configuration of the Gen Z subculture, became a global base for communication, connection, and activism through sixty-second long videos. And now, its most loyal users fear the eventuality of an incoming end.

“When the reality settled in that the time for TikTok’s demise was indeed ticking, I did feel a little upset, because an app that has been the source of my laughter and freedom of expression was now going away,” Hughes recollected. 

“ [This is] similar to the demise of Vine, which for a lot of young Millennials and Gen Z was like the ending of an era.”