The House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok on Saturday. And even some Americans who make money on the Chinese-owned app believe that TikTok has become a cesspool of hate and misinformation, and that there is no end in sight soon.
Comedian and actor Zach Sage Fox, who makes a living by posting clips of his stand-up videos to his more than 1.1 million followers on TikTok, was released hours after Congress voted to block the bill. He sweated over how the app’s ban would affect his income. Shut down the US platform or force a sale.
But the social media influencer has faced accusations that it promoted Hamas propaganda and turned American youth toward Islamic extremism after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He recognized the dangers posed by the hugely popular video-sharing platform.
“I’m horrified by what I’m seeing” on TikTok, Fox told the Post.
“TikTok has been a gold mine for the biggest source of misinformation regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent months,” he said.
“It seems like something is going on with the algorithm that is trying to taint the West.”
The bill, which would force app owner ByteDance to sell within nine months, passed by an overwhelming vote of 360-58.
The House passed a similar TikTok bill in March, passing it with a bipartisan majority. But that effort has stalled in the Democratic Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has so far refused to bring the bill to a vote.
The Senate will be forced to address the issue because it is part of a large foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel.
TikTok is used by an estimated 170 million Americans and is completely ubiquitous among teens and Gen Z, with an astonishing 76% of Zoomers using the app is the answer.
According to one survey, nearly two-thirds of them admit to using it daily. 2023 YPulse Report.
The app is a comprehensive information source for America’s youth, where they can “find everything about health, fashion, food, politics, relatable ‘story time’ and everything in between,” the report said. There is.
But in recent years, TikTok has made headlines for rampant misinformation on the app, including young people praising Osama bin Laden after reading his September 11th “Letter to America.”
“With the glass less than half full, millions of young people are cut off from information coming in from China and are forced to rely on sources that provide at least some, if not perfect, oversight on a factual level. I think so,” Fox said.
Experts said even if TikTok doesn’t find a buyer and is blocked from access from the United States, a new app is certain to replace it.
Karen North, a social media professor at the University of Southern California, said: “There’s always going to be something to fill that void, whether it’s a giant company like Meta reverse-engineering it or recreating an experience that people already enjoy.” I can do it,” he said.
“If it were to disappear, something would emerge from the ashes,” she said. “I don’t know which Phoenix it will be.”
