By Randall Elvin · Staff Writer
Imagine it’s 1:47 a.m. and you swore you’d study in an hour … two hours ago. Instead, you’ve gotten up to date on “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” watched the Steelers’ latest low lights and learned the newest slang that can only bring down your IQ.
Many readers don’t have to imagine this because it’s their reality. From trends, humor and seemingly endless communities, TikTok has something for everyone. TikTok has easily become more than just an app to the younger generations – it’s the default for gaps between classes, meals and study sessions.
That’s why news of a TikTok ban rattled people across the nation. Concerns over the security of the app have been discussed since 2020. Five years later, these concerns are still relevant. The Chinese app has been suspected of letting the Chinese Communist Party access millions of users’ data. With Americans making up more than 170 million users, the U.S. government saw this as a serious national security issue.
Lawmakers drew up plans to crack down on TikTok in 2020, 2023 and 2025. Most recently, we remember TikTok going dark to those located in the U.S. for less then 24 hours before President Donald Trump signed an executive order to extend its usable time. Many users were ready to move on from TikTok and hopped on Instagram reels. Some even switched to the RedNote app which, ironically, is also Chinese-owned.
A few dedicated TikTok users even deleted the app since it was unusable. When the ban was lifted, the app wasn’t available in the Apple store for multiple days, which was frustrating to those who rely on it for entertainment – maybe too heavily.
When TikTok was up and running again, many students let out a big sigh of relief. It’s not just a time eater: It’s a hub for timely news. For younger generations, TikTok rivals and may even surpass legacy platforms of news like Twitter or cable news. According to Pew Research, one in five U.S. adults under 30 say they regularly get news on TikTok, a statistic that is only going up. The speed at which videos get uploaded and the amount of time users spend on the app contribute to this fact.
Feeds can shape moods and moods can shape campus morale. A celebrity engagement with someone like Taylor Swift can spread like wildfire, sparking others to share it with their friends. Fans engage in excitement in the dining hall or in classes. On the opposite end, news of a political assassination can also spread rapidly and cause solemnity and silence in those same areas. Any global event is at the fingertips of millions of users on one of the most popular apps of all time. Wonderful news, tragic news and anything in between explodes on TikTok almost instantly.
TikTok may take up more hours than we would like to admit, but it’s also where culture and news are spread faster than anywhere else. It keeps conversations alive and creates trends that can bring people together. Seeing how people react, laugh and debate is all part of connecting to each other. For anyone who is on the app or not, TikTok will continue to direct culture, news, study breaks and how many of us interact with others.
