TikTok Provides a Unique Creative Platform, but at a Price

by Pallavi Datta

Since its founding in 2016, TikTok has become a wildly popular platform for self-expression among Gen Z that is only continuing to grow. With 100 million American users, 50 million of which use the app daily, it has been the most downloaded app of 2020 so far and the first foreign social media platform that has reached such high levels of usership in the United States. TikTok is owned by a Beijing-based company called ByteDance with alleged ties to the Chinese government. It seems to consist mainly of innocuous dance videos and the company has claimed that the Chinese government has never asked for access to TikTok’s data. But then why has TikTok sparked bipartisan concerns of being a national security threat?

To answer that question we first need to look at a few key factors that have contributed to TikTok’s enormous success and popularity. Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok brands itself as a breezy space for free expression, catered to a younger generation. Amidst the constant influx of bleak and foreboding news, it is that branding that may have contributed to the surging usership during this pandemic. Using the “tried and tested formula” from the discontinued video app Vine and TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly, short-form videos keep viewers engaged longer. This format provides a creative outlet for so many people to highlight varied interests from dancing and music, to art and comedy, to even activism, education, and beyond. In terms of creation, the sky’s the limit and at its essence, TikTok provides the platform for everyone to be authentically “themselves”. However niche your interests might be, you can always find relatable content and a community along with it. TikTok has established itself as a ground for new and old influencers alike to build and develop their careers on. But the true heart of its success lies with TikTok’s “secret weapon”: an advanced AI algorithm that tracks your interests and data to compile a digital profile ensuring that you are consistently delivered content that you enjoy.

And that’s the beginning of the problem with TikTok. TikTok is so massively addicting and time consuming because it is tailored to give you a uniquely personalized experience. The more you watch, the better recommendations you receive, it constantly updates to catch trends and adapt to your new interests. It’s no surprise that a recent estimate states that kids in the US spend an average of 82 minutes each day on it, the app is designed to keep you engaged for as long as they can. Business models are shaped on this mechanism. Tiktok is free, yet the company is worth 75 billion USD. They make money because you are not their customer; advertisers are. Because TikTok has so much awareness of your preferences and interests, ads are engineered to be delivered to the most likely customers. In spite of the risk of data and privacy violations, we rely so much on these technologies that we are willing to overlook their intrusive nature and provide unfettered access. We have become used to mindlessly tapping ‘accept’ when it comes to data consent and privacy policies.

This comes along with all of the other problems associated with social media such as negative impacts on mental health and self image, and craving validation through likes and followers. To some extent, we’ve accepted it as life in the 21st century and consequences of an increasingly digital world. On the other side, especially during this pandemic, we have seen the real benefits and necessity of social media. However, TikTok’s rise is alarming and goes further than that: its alleged relationship with the Chinese government.

Concerns have been raised that TikTok could potentially give China access to vast swathes of data on American users. From access to mic, videos, photos and contacts, the app can gather information from your name and address to your interests and social circle, to even your typing patterns. TikTok has repeatedly denied that the Chinese government is asking for data, but according to a recent CBS 60 Minutes piece, under China’s national security and cybersecurity laws, the government and industry are fused in a way that they do not need to request access to data. However, the company claims that these accusations are unfounded. Both sides of the aisle have recognized these concerns and in September, to avoid being banned, Walmart and Oracle jointly purchased 20% of TikTok, while ByteDance retained the other 80%.

But it’s not enough. The core of the app is its AI based algorithm which is constantly being engineered and tweaked, and is still owned by ByteDance. Regardless of where the data is being stored or who has access, by changing the label the app is not any less data intrusive. For an app that has altered the way we create content, reshaped the music industry and social outreach, it is not an option to ban it. However, without a deal being reached to rebuild the platform, concerns over security remain.

We, as users, don’t have control over federal action and how they deal with the tech industry. As conscientious users, we must first be cognizant of the social media platforms’ business design. They monetize by manipulating us into staying hooked to their apps for as long as possible so that they can gain data, increase usership and advertisement revenue. In today’s world, it’s also not reasonable to ask us to delete all our social media accounts. Social media has become such an integral part of our lives and is here to stay, for good or for bad. But we can take small steps such as disconnecting every day after 7 p.m., monitoring our screen time or scheduling down time for certain apps on our phone. The problems stated above are not singular to TikTok, social media as a whole has often become an intrusive presence in our lives, sometimes outweighing the positive impacts. Polarization is also a consequence of how platforms display content to us that affirms our preexisting beliefs, rather than questioning them.

With the nature of advertising becoming more and more personalized, the money advertisers pay isn’t just to sell us their products or support their causes; they start to have the power to change us, the consumers, slowly over time. As the chilling quote from the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma ventures, “if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”. That needs to change.