2020 has been a tough year for everyone, but an even tougher year for President Donald J. Trump.
“As far as TikTok is concerned, We are banning them from the United States, I will sign the documents tomorrow.” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. He was ready to shut down the quintessential Gen Z social platform.
As the task to ban TikTok continues on, the company has proceeded with plans to respond against the Trump administration.
“We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees,” TikTok said in a company’s newsroom reported by Vox News journalist Shirin Ghaffery.
On Aug. 6, Trump made an executive order banning any U.S company or individual from making transactions with ByteDance within 45 days, also within 90 days he placed another executive order for the TikTok company to divest from the United States and get rid of any and all U.S. data according to Computer Network reporter Queenie Wong.
TikTok is a popular social video-sharing networking service app that was produced by Bytedance in Beijing, China. The app was founded in 2012, and was heavily adopted in the United States over a period of time.
The app is used to showcase 15- to 60-second videos by different creators on the app. The videos usually feature viral dances or people taking part in viral trends.
The move can be seen as retaliation. In mid-June, TikTok creators came together enmasse to troll Trump by securing tickets to his rallies and events as ghost spectators.
As Trump kicked off his first presidential rally in Tulsa, Okla. TikTok creator Pasta Express posted a video of herself securing two spots at the Trump rally with intentions of never attending.
“… I forgot I had to pick every piece of lint off my room floor and then sort them by size so I can’t go Friday,” the creator said in a video.
Overnight her video went viral on the platform with many viewers partaking in this extreme prank.
The initial goal was to influence viewers to participate in disrupting the rally by filling up seats with fake names, numbers, and addresses. She never imagined that a great amount of people would help empty out the stadium. Images from the rally later showed open seats.
In the end, fewer than 6,200 Trump supporters showed up to an empty stadium fit to seat at least 19,200 people the day of according to an article by Vox. .
Banning Tik Tok from the United States is a childish play for Trump. Tik Tok is a social platform that brings people together that share common interests, whether it’s watching dancers, athletes, or even celebrities creating content that viewers appreciate. The app is used to express yourself in a creative way for other people to see. If Trump gets rid of the app, what does that mean for people who use the app to target a specific audience for their small businesses or for Tik Tok creators that get paid to create videos?