TikTok has leaned even heavier on its open support of Trump now that the ban is going into effect. And it’s worth noting that while TikTok was originally used to embarrass Trump in 2020, he became more popular on the app in 2024 than any other U.S. politician. - ThreadSky

kattenbarge.bsky.social • 38 days ago

TikTok has leaned even heavier on its open support of Trump now that the ban is going into effect. And it’s worth noting that while TikTok was originally used to embarrass Trump in 2020, he became more popular on the app in 2024 than any other U.S. politician.

Comments

kattenbarge.bsky.social•38 days ago

There has been bipartisan flip-flopping, hypocrisy, and ulterior motives when it comes to TikTok, with the (current) end result that the app is now being openly used to promote Trump to as many as 170 million Americans as he prepares to take office.

lisalee333.bsky.social•37 days ago

Which is why I left TT the day after the election.

jeffbach.bsky.social•38 days ago

Well, not *currently* currently.

mfelps.bsky.social•38 days ago

And the best part: fearing Chinese influence, legislators drove TikTok users onto an explicitly Chinese app with Chinese citizens where they're being flooded with videos about how cheap Chinese groceries are and how much they misunderstood China. Also a lot of gay Chinese guys being thirsty.

kattenbarge.bsky.social•38 days ago

Should the Democrats have seen this coming? Well, lots of people have been screaming that this was going to happen. So they certainly could have figured it out in advance. But remember, most of the political power players involved don’t really understand social media. Trump included.

ftzpltc.bsky.social•37 days ago

"But remember, most of the political power players involved don’t really understand social media."

OK, but it is their job to find these things out. They have the time, the money and the resources to do so, if they choose. Don't let them off the hook that easy.

ciaojude.bsky.social•38 days ago

Dems have been incredibly bad at communication, and worse at formulating and conveying a message. TickTok is just the latest example where Trump & co have gotten out ahead of event w/ their take. Is there no outstanding strategist or successful PR practitioner in the Dem fold?

jarlent.bsky.social•38 days ago

They're perfectly good at communication

It's just that their goals and beliefs are shit

js07073.bsky.social•38 days ago

I’ve lost complete confidence in the Democratic Party…

mrparts.bsky.social•38 days ago

The party needs a full reset but it won't happen yet. It is very likely that there will be a massive landslide loss for the Dems in the 2026 midterms, and perhaps there will be a change in the party.

aldokelrast.bsky.social•38 days ago

Would help if anyone in the party were under 80.

rogergathmann.bsky.social•38 days ago

You mean, most of them are doddering relics of the 70s and 80s. This is true. Geriatric faschitude is a thing, and right now, it is in power.

top8io.bsky.social•38 days ago

Hey! We are here making our app currently. Please check us out at https://top8.io. We still building but letting people access to provide recommendations on things they want! Also please share with your followers to help us grow!

kattenbarge.bsky.social•38 days ago

We’re in a dangerous time when it comes to social media. When it’s good, it’s great. But we’ve seen it weaponized to further anti-democratic agendas, while the people at the wheel to stop it don’t even understand what’s going on. We’re at the mercy of a toppling house of cards.

marquemaire.bsky.social•38 days ago

Worse: they do understand.

missspaceoddity.bsky.social•35 days ago

Well said 🤍

kattenbarge.bsky.social•38 days ago

Also, my prediction, FWIW: Now that the path to “save TikTok” is in Trump’s hands, I have started to think my “worst case scenario” back of mind thought is more likely. Which is that we get an “Elon Musk buys Twitter” situation with a much bigger and more influential platform.

seefergvick.bsky.social•38 days ago

Bingo! Yep.

rutemple.bsky.social•38 days ago

Tiktok will remain Not For Sale, I predict.

dylanparks.bsky.social•38 days ago

Agreed. And it’s the worst case scenario…

anissablue.bsky.social•38 days ago

Either way, seems like it’s donezo

marvelous-miss-em.bsky.social•38 days ago

Elon is literally the human version of The Brain from Pinky and The Brain.

jeffbach.bsky.social•38 days ago

China’s MOFCOM has to approve any cross-border M&A and TikTok exists as an e-commerce platform, I don’t understand where “selling it to Musk” gets any traction from ByteDance and MOFCOM.

kattenbarge.bsky.social•38 days ago

I don’t necessarily think they’ll sell it to Musk, but maybe someone with a similar agenda. I also don’t see how Trump can “save TikTok” any other way besides some kind of sale going through. And TikTok seems to think it’s getting saved.

lwballard.bsky.social•38 days ago

Jeff Yass, billionaire Trump buddy, already owns a huge chunk of it and Bytedance, its parent company. And until Elon made a major donation Yass was the single biggest GOP donor this election cycle.

It is ALREADY another X or Meta but with scarier tech and Chinese psyops issues.

spacemonkeygleek.bsky.social•38 days ago

All 3 branches (including 1 FOTUS, 1 POTUS) agreed TikTok poses a national security threat with serious espionage risks. But for a price, Trump now no longer wants to prevent foreign actors from accessing sensitive information to target specific individuals, dissidents, and critics within the US? 🇨🇳

hauman.bsky.social•38 days ago

Even worse: Trump buys it himself with his new memecoin.

samuraiko.bsky.social•38 days ago

So if the ban gets repealed, what are the chances that now folks can once again go full bore on pro-Palestinian support/anti-Tangchurian Candidate™ commentary since "well, YOU (the TC™) approved the site coming back, dumbass, don't complain about it!"?

wyvu.bsky.social•38 days ago

We can all definitely try and see what happens.

tofufighting.bsky.social•38 days ago

Hasn't TikTok been very openly hostile to the idea of selling, though? I thought their position was basically "we get that you want us to sell to an American, and unfortunately you're just going to have to ban us because that's not happening"

dorothymurphy.bsky.social•38 days ago

Now the TikTok/DanceByte CEO is a VIP at the Trump installation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.scmp.com/news/china/article/3295101/tiktok-ceo-expected-attend-donald-trumps-presidential-inauguration-reports

diogeneslamp.bsky.social•38 days ago

The only TikTok survives is if the CEO joins and swears loyalty to Trump and the assholigarchy

jacobharr.is•38 days ago

Didn’t Larry Ellison want to buy it?

karlaarcher.bsky.social•38 days ago

I think Meta and TikTok will merge or something to that effect. IG changed its thumbnails to tall rectangles (like TT) and FB has been promoting ways to connect it to TT the last few days

cdkscully.bsky.social•38 days ago

That's what Zuck wants
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/513376-mark-zuckerberg-pushed-anti-tiktok-message-to-officials-lawmakers-report/

https://readsludge.com/2024/04/23/meta-shatters-lobbying-record-as-house-passes-tiktok-ban/

drcindylouwho.bsky.social•38 days ago

Thank you for this 💙

shayruldawn.bsky.social•38 days ago

Oh crap

raymikell.bsky.social•38 days ago

How exactly it is his hands? There are limits in the law as to what he can do. Settling the matter would be in Congress's hands, ultimately.

madre21.bsky.social•38 days ago

This is correct. Only congress can repeal this law.

historysraven.bsky.social•38 days ago

He’s the sitting President. He signs it, it’s his. You’re technically correct, but the perception is that it would be Trump “saving it.”

jennreads.bsky.social•38 days ago

My thought is that this will happen and that there will immediately be algorithms implemented that favor specific content in the same way EM has done.

richardgere.bsky.social•38 days ago

100%. The enshittification of twitter is absolutely the model

catsluck.bsky.social•38 days ago

I never used TikTok, but I can't get over the feeling we need to stop building on top of other people's platforms. Building a community or movement or a business may be made easier by it, but what you give up for that convenience rarely feels worth it in times like these.

johanna001.bsky.social•38 days ago

I’d rather see TikTok die and disappear forever than see one of the broligarchs take it over.

tintgma6.bsky.social•38 days ago

I agree!! If musky or meta take it over. I am still not going back.

drownedinsound.bsky.social•38 days ago

What if they let Taylor and Rihanna buy it?

wjojo222.bsky.social•38 days ago

Broligarchs 🤣

pipimioden.bsky.social•38 days ago

hell, I'd like it to die globally from lack of revenue than to have it come back!

dbzwii09.bsky.social•38 days ago

Muskrat taking over clock app is a death warrant, much like when he ruined Birdsite when he bought it up and blanderized it

spacefluttershy.bsky.social•38 days ago

I'd agree, if it weren't for the fact that so many people use Tiktok to promote their small businesses and pay their bills. There are people scared and not knowing what to do next because their sole source of income is being ripped away from them

bluedot412.bsky.social•38 days ago

Me too

cdkscully.bsky.social•38 days ago

Don't forget Zuckerberg was lobbying for the ban .
The CEO of tiktok was an intern at Facebook.
Article dated 2020

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/513376-mark-zuckerberg-pushed-anti-tiktok-message-to-officials-lawmakers-report/

dgersh.bsky.social•38 days ago

i pray the fuck not

joecaramagna.bsky.social•38 days ago

My worry is that millions of people are so desperate for its content that they are ready to celebrate any reversal of the ban no matter how undemocratic.

typoaspraxis.bsky.social•38 days ago

Yes, this is my worry, too. I have (adult) family members who spend 6+ hours a day on the platform, and whose communication/thinking have completely changed in the last few years. While I value much of what happens on the app, for some folks it’s an absolute addiction.

countdvb.bsky.social•38 days ago

I doubt that Bytedance would sell to Musk. Like, why would they?

andrewgiglio.bsky.social•38 days ago

Either him or some equally shitty goon(s).

lostwolfling.bsky.social•38 days ago

That's my fear. I won't go back to TikTok if control changes hands in that way. I hope others stand by that too. The move to the U.S. servers was already rough & pretty horrendous.

whipsybask.bsky.social•38 days ago

Musk or another oligarch buying TikTok is literally worse than it getting banned. If that is the case, I will not be going back.

signfire.bsky.social•37 days ago

An American buying TikTok (even a detestable oligarch if it must be) would "literally" be the best outcome. This is because the REASON for the ban is a legitimately good one. As long as a Chinese citizen owns TikTok,

thewurdsmith.bsky.social•38 days ago

This is a THREAD. Thank you for pulling this together.

Now, we watch his revisionist shenanigans begin...

priyajsridhar.bsky.social•38 days ago

But what happened to the K-pop army???!

snickers4.bsky.social•38 days ago

Very informative thanks so much!

imspi.bsky.social•38 days ago

There's a good chance Zuck tries to buy it, with all the lobbying money he spent and how much he's been cozying up. Or Trump is just going to undo the ban with right leaning censorship stipulations and proclaime himself gen Zs saviour.

Maybe a mix of the 2 where he tries to somehow give it to Zuck

backroll23.bsky.social•38 days ago

What do you think the $1 million donations to the inauguration were by Bezos, Zuckerberg and Tim Cook? All entrance fees to bid on Tik Tok.

southpawgolden.bsky.social•38 days ago

Well put! Toppling house of cards..precisely.

heroness73.bsky.social•38 days ago

They are consolidating our media under their control

andyjabbour.bsky.social•38 days ago

Good thread. This entire debacle is a great example of the abuse of power and ignorance of elected officials. There are no heroes in this story and it should serve as an example of why we don’t want DC trying to solve all of our problems. Not this team, not that team.

poeticraven77.bsky.social•38 days ago

Yep me too

tlh101.bsky.social•38 days ago

Definitely, and they are all so old they basically live in a different world. AOC and the younger politicians get social media, but Pelosi, Schumer, Gary Connolly, and Hoyer are all much too old.

madycast.com•38 days ago

Trump definitely understood it better than democrats did 😒

shredhq.bsky.social•38 days ago

He shook the company and investors down for so many millions.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/14/trump-tiktok-billionaire-donors-00146892

madycast.com•38 days ago

yeah he got a win win, more donors and more support from young people, all gifted by democrats and Biden

shoishto.bsky.social•38 days ago

These people have been serving since before the internet was widespread so of course they don’t understand social media. Yet another reason why we need term limits ASAP

itsmepd.bsky.social•38 days ago

The fact that the ban went in earlier than necessary combined with this message makes me think it’s all a farce so Trump can claim a win. Same old tactics, he breaks something, blames it on democrats, and then takes the credit for fixing the thing he broke.

keiralife.bsky.social•38 days ago

Democrats are complicit. They won't be coming to help.

thelittlepakeha.net•38 days ago

Not just Americans, I've seen heaps of people from elsewhere saying that suddenly they're getting a ton of Trump, Ivanka etc in their feeds that had never come up before.

lilpeggysnowflake.bsky.social•38 days ago

Alot of us 170 aren't buying the bs. Deleting once it comes back on.

mkverson.bsky.social•38 days ago

📌

bemoangamble.bsky.social•38 days ago

No surprise as that’s Xi and the Chinese Communist Party using their TikTok to persuade TikTok users to support Trump.

jeffdudaphdco.bsky.social•38 days ago

Evidence that the younger generations are fucking dumb.

bluedot412.bsky.social•38 days ago

Fuck trump I won’t go back if he saves it

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