When it first launched, TikTok was a place for community, laughter, creativity and growth; yet it seems to be taking a different course than what the actual app is intended for. What once was a fun replacement for Musical.ly has now become a void for creativity to fizzle out and voices to be censored. This begs the question, are these changes for better or for worse?
Before the Shutdown
TikTok was created around September 2016 by a Chinese company called ByteDance, which then combined with Musical.ly on Aug. 2, 2018. A lot of people including myself were a bit upset about this new application taking away from the silly and cringe from Musical.ly.
We would argue amongst ourselves about never using the app and potentially going on strike.
However, I would’ve never imagined how TikTok would become a place for me to doomscroll and still get inspired to use my own creativity to produce my own videos.
It slowly became a place where community could be created. Businesses were founded and marketed through TikTok, and more people could be content creators.
There were a few creators on there that captured my attention when I didn’t scroll that much on the app. This led me to want to create my own YouTube channel and start producing content to make others happy.
TikTok became popular at the time largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having people locked in their homes, unable to go out of the house made more people stay at home and potentially pay more attention to their electronics. In the process, many creators’ careers jumpstarted.
However in 2020, there was the looming rumor of having the app shut down. People panicked across the streets of the TikTok interwebs, saying their last goodbyes and saving all of their funny videos for memorial.
But it never came. Then it was more or less tossed in the air whether it would get banned or not. Often rumors spread about pending dates, but it never really went through. At one point the previous president, Joe Biden, even signed a legislative ban for TikTok in 2024. It didn’t stop anything though. And truthfully it started to become a running joke on TikTok. No one took it seriously for a while.
Yet all things still have an expiration date.
The Shutdown and After
The pending shutdown was set on Jan. 19, 2025; supposedly at midnight when everything would be erased from existence.
In 2020, Donald Trump wanted to shut down TikTok due to the app being owned by ByteDance. Why is this important?
“The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” Trump wrote in an executive order in 2020.
I did think this was slightly foolish, I mean, what is the Chinese government going to do with thirst traps of our favorite YouTube celebrities?
Though just like Vine and Musical.ly. the time came, and it arrived earlier than anticipated. My friends and I began to freak out, but we got over it quickly. It wasn’t a big deal to us because we heard it before. For years the government was trying to shut down TikTok, so it came to no surprise that it had finally happened. We said our goodbyes, and thought it was done.
A lot of people moved on pretty quickly. Creators and viewers alike moved their business to RedNote, which was another Chinese owned app. Many joked that if the Chinese government really wanted to get their information they might as well go to an app that can allow them access, not really caring about repercussions. Others pursued YouTube, or just left all together to just go live a normal life.
However, it came back. Less than 24 hours later around 9 a.m., TikTok was revived magically with a little message that followed; “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
‘How odd,’ I thought to myself. ‘Wasn’t the same individual that wanted to ban TikTok now bring it back?’
Of course I found it suspicious, who wouldn’t? But I didn’t think too much about it either. TikTok came back, and that’s all that really mattered. I can continue to doomscroll without a care and procrastinate on my homework. But there was something that I couldn’t shake off.
Censorship
There has been a lot going on in the world since the beginning of January 2025 until now. Riots were happening on the streets, the Los Angeles fires were ablaze, and Palestine was still under fire. Yet, none of that was being shown on my for you page.
It left me feeling ignorant as I watched cooking videos and “girlfriend hitting you with a frying pan ASMR.”
Something that caught my eyes and ears was the term “winter boots” would pop up on my screen. It was a warning for people to be aware of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and unjustful government policies. Any noise about their activities was disguised as a way to search for winter boots.
But why did they do that?
Why couldn’t the creators just warn us, the people, about any danger or transgressions that are happening in our neighborhoods?
Often any topic that criticised what the government was doing or anything happening in the world would be censored. For some people, TikTok was a source of information for them.
Previously, when information or videos of interest would appear on my “For you Page,” I would do my own research to form my own opinion. Or try to be more self aware of the topic itself if someone were to ask me about it.
But I never got anything popping on my page, leaving myself ignorant about so many things.
It’s upsetting truthfully. As someone who is pursuing journalism and as an individual for the people, it ticks me off.
What is even more upsetting is the fact that it is still going on. As soon as all of TikTok got transferred to America, everything went straight to the gutter. TikTok has just become a void of brain dead content to consume and then ignoring when the nukes drop. I would know, I am one of probably thousands of ignorant people who didn’t notice until the last second these changes. They make the app utterly terrible.
It makes me sad, that a well created app meant for creativity and pure entertainment. Has become this horrible time waster that censors the people and is full of AI slop.
But at least when the nukes drop, I will be watching Hazbin Hotel memes while my body disintegrates.
