The Reinstating of TikTok and What That Means for the Revolution!

As of January 19, 2025, after a mere 14 hours, TikTok has announced its return. This, according to TikTok themselves, is all thanks to President-Elect Donald Trump, but don’t start singing his praises just yet, that’s exactly what he wants.

Firstly, let’s not forget that Trump, in his first term, was the one declaring that TikTok should be banned in the first place. Convincing many Americans and politicians that China taking data from its users was a threat to national security. Now, after the damage is effectively done, he is stepping away from that narrative and planning on stopping any ban or even reverting it after it’s taken effect. (Spoiler Alert: it’s the latter).

The stunt, as many people have it called from the start, is a ploy to sway the opinion of Gen Z voters and public perception in general. From being the one who called the ban in the first place to then swopping in at the last minute to reverse this decision so he could be called an “American Hero.” We have seen this in the past with Ronald Reagan and holding to release hostages as a political tactic for his reelection. As I said, many people have called this stunt from the minute it became apparent, but not everyone is on time for the party.

Just this morning, influencer James Charles posted a TikTok where he is seemingly sympathetic to Trump and even said, “Let’s make America great again, I guess.” While this could be written off as a joke, even putting forth the idea of siding with him/his actions or his ideals is not okay. This will also not be the last you see of this type of video, especially from influencers, as news spreads of TikTok returning. Of course, they have every right to be excited and even grateful that a source of income for them, which they first thought would be obsolete, is still an available, viable option, but let us not be fooled by this stunt. It is not only a way to try and sway the public perception of him but also a shiny toy to distract from some of the events that are yet to come.

Fox News has reported that we will see more than 200 executive actions being proposed after Trump is sworn in on Monday. There are also talks of the biggest mass deportation in American history on Tuesday. Netanyahu, Israel's current Prime Minister, has stated that Trump has communicated with him that this ceasefire is temporary, that Israel has his “full backing” to resume the war, and that he stands with Israel continuing the war with “tremendous force.” I want to remind everyone that the man hasn’t been sworn in yet. (Update: as of January 21st, he has signed a wide variety of executive orders. Some of these have pulled us out of the Paris Climate Agreement, moving to end birthright citizenship, declaring that there are only two genders, and many more. But yay… TikTok.)

While I have been incredibly outspoken and sad about the TikTok ban, I will not be returning to the app for now. In my eyes, the damage is already done. The government has effectively proven that they do not care about our right to freedom of speech and will suppress that right by any means necessary. I will not be complacent with what some of the American people have decided for us as a whole, and if my small part of staying dormant on an app is the small gesture of protest I can do, then so be it. I encourage you all to remain vigilant. Continue educating yourself. Don’t let them fool you into thinking you’ve won, not just yet.