The fact that Congress could come together so rapidly and so unanimously to do something so stupid, at a time when our country is falling apart, says so much about their priorities. They work for the Capitalist class, not us.
Trump: Ban TikTok! Trump: Save TikTok! Biden: Ban TikTok! Biden: Save TikTok!
🤡
Hmm I wonder if the game now is for Trump to ‘negotiate’ a deal where one of his cronies buys it and turns it into another right-wing propaganda machine just like Musk did with Twitter. I could see that as a reason why he’d backtrack on it so abruptly.
Because of the nature of the algorithm, it absolutely is this for plenty of people. It’s also not the case for plenty of people. I doubt there are many right-wingers going on to join a Chinese app called “Little Red Book” which has rules that require the promotion of Chinese socialism. It’s the most popular app in the US now because of this ban.
Personally I still don’t believe that a completely unknown app was suddenly getting new members in the means of some grassroots protest.
Maybe it is more (or gotten) more known through TikTok and that’s why it was basically unknown for me.
Still, I think this is artificially hyped as a reaction to a potential TikTok ban and not some organic growth - even taking into account people switching in protest
I think, I’ve heard about this app like once in the last years. And, not wanting to sound self centered, but as a software dev and quite interested in anything internet, I find this development rather strange.
Was “little red book” promoted on TikTok or how did so many people, who are usually just consumers of feeds, suddenly heard of that new app?
Especially, when I have a really hard time to have them install a new app, like Signal, in other cases.
Ok, this wasn’t really a good answer to your comment, sorry. You’re right, that the TikTok feed just builds individual bubbles, so right wingers will get more right wing info and the other way round.
But the sudden switch to a practically unknown app just… seems fishy
Trying to enforce anything new right now, just before Trump goes into office, accomplishes nothing and guarantees that Trump will just reverse it. Publicly deciding not to enforce leaves the incoming administration with a less obvious choice PR-wise, and thus the possibility that they might choose to “own the libs” by actually enforcing the ban.
They are largely powerless at this stage, and preparing for an idiot to take over their job. Why not?
