In December, in an article about Luigi Mangione and the “blackpilling” of the United States – a descent into disillusionment –voice writer Rebecca Jennings described a general malaise gripping the masses: “All sections of Americans seem to find themselves increasingly in a nihilistic mood… They are disenchanted with the economy and feel pessimistic about climate change, the market of dating and his own loneliness. “They are losing faith in almost every major institution in America, from the public school system to police departments, the military, unions, organized religion and, of course, the media.”
That sentiment could also describe much of the attitude toward social media platforms in 2025. X, once considered the town square of the Internet, is rife with trolls, hate speech and propaganda. Meta, apparently following in the footsteps of X and Elon Musk, is rolling back fact-checking and hate speech protections on Facebook and Instagram at a dizzying pace. Social platforms are about to become even more poisonous to their own users as a handful of outrageously rich and powerful men wrestle with their own interests. insecurities around masculinity and freedom of expression.
TikTok, by comparison, was not just another social platform. It was personalized, even helpful. I’ve been an avid TikToker for years; is a platform that taught me recipes, curly hair care, how to find affordable resources, art tutorials, exercise routines, plant care, and so much more. It has had a more positive material influence on my life than any other platform, a sentiment shared by many American users. Is that personal impact more important than hearing dry government explanations about foreign influence? Ask the TikTokers now learning mandarin as they migrate to RedNote.
Other TikTok users are spending what appears to be the app’s final days saying goodbye. “To my Chinese spy who watches me through my phone” read one“I’ll miss you.” The final times on the app are full of creators asking their audiences to follow them elsewhere, while also taking advantage of every last second to mate in his own countryand their efforts to ban an app while much bigger problems persist. “Shit risk to national security?” User Bryan Andrews says in a video with 27 million visits. “Yeah, fuck right.”
Gone are the days when TikTok was thought to be just that app where people posted lip syncs and dances. Today, it’s a powerhouse, a finely tuned machine that churns out memes, jokes, fashion trends, news, music, slang, and much faster than any modern social platform.
TikTok’s success exists on both a macro and micro level, dictating cultural trends and offering people the ability to select a specific type of lifestyle through a feed that constantly evolves based on their interests. gave artists a better platform have your work seen by people all over the world. He helped the victims In countries devastated by war they send their message abroad. It created a new generation of small business owners, an untold number of people who were able to financially propel themselves toward a better life by building an audience.
The threat the US government claims TikTok poses is of little interest to the average American. In fact, the younger generations have always existed in a highly online world where your privacy has been exposed, sometimes since birth. As a TikTok user crutches_and_spice say it: “I don’t give a damn if China has my data! Are you kidding? “Everyone has my data.”