So. I think we ought to look at this issue from two perspectives. Many times I see this conflated when commenting TikTok.

First, we should talk about the "tiktok rush" as one would call it, the immense algorithmic power the platform has to keep us hooked. This is real. I think anyone that's been using tiktok for a while can attest to its incredibly powerful algorithm... and this is a result of cleverly leveraging recommendation algorithm techniques [1]. This cat is out of the bag, and be it TikTok, instagram reels or Youtube's shorts; this is the technology that's going to be used moving forward for recommendation algorithms in these kinds of products.

Tiktok changed the game, and this is not something that is being addressed in any way by legislation; not in the US. We could ban tiktok because it's "harming our children" but then we should ban reels and shorts and any new app that tries their hand at it. And that's just not going to happen, not in the US anyway. I haven't really used instagram reels or youtube shorts a lot, so I can't speak to how good their algorithms are... but it doesn't matter, people are mostly on tiktok so that's where the content is being generated and I would assume they are probably the best at this game. But it's only a matter of time. Should tiktok be banned, another would simply take its place.

Because we've seen what's possible, we're simply not going back. Anyway, as for me, I use tiktok maybe once or twice a week for about an hour or two at a time. It's a bit like watching a movie; it's very fun; but I can totally see how addicting the platform is and everyone has their own demons to fight. I've never really found tiktok ads to be overly intrusive, they're clearly labeled and you can skip them easily. Not sure how other platforms handle this, but I found instagram stories and instagram ads in general to be much more annoying.

Second, the issue of a security threat. I kind of get it. But at the same time, it's impossible for me to properly separate waters in here. I think at this point we've all seen the damage that social media is capable of when it comes to manipulating politics; fake news spread like wildfire in platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and through instant-messaging apps like Whatsapp. I don't think we've yet seen a true push by the platforms to shape political messages; although that was one of Musk claims that Twitter was doing.

It's unclear to me, most of the misinformation I encounter on the web comes from republican-types, at least in Chile (the country I'm from); social media was actively used to spread misinformation in the last referendum, nothing has been done about it. These platforms allow for a sort of "anyone can do whatever they want" situation and we seem to be fine with it. Back to the USA, in 2016, I think at this point is pretty clear that there were foreign-backed interference campaigns. Not much was done about it. But the one thing that's clear is that social media is a tool that can be used to manipulate people. So in that regard, it makes sense for the USA to want to shield itself, given that TikTok could be used by China to harm the USA. I believe this is the case.

We can talk about how there's a double standard here, that the USA doesn't care about what its own platforms might be doing in other countries but, in the end, of course the USA will want to put itself first.

But I think, ultimately, maybe the damage has already been done. Because Tiktok has shown us a form of addiction that in itself might be more damaging than any political tampering the chinese might want to do. After all, US politics is degenerating with or without the help of the chinese; as they've allowed their own platforms to be used for political gains without thinking of the consequences. In reality, it wouldn't be difficult for any truly interested party to hijack politics without owning the platforms, the Russians did it, there's just no stopping this without active regulation of social media; and why would that happen, when politicians benefit from these tactics themselves? And social media companies also benefit from the raving addiction these generate. It's a win-win for the interests of corrupt politicians and money making individuals.

So, in conclusion, these measures might be necessary but they're not really going to solve the real problems we are facing with these technologies.

I think if anyone is interested in actual solutions to the broken political system, I would recommend the book "Open Democracy" by Helene Landemore.

[1] https://www.shaped.ai/blog/the-secret-sauce-of-tik-toks-reco...