Musically, a name that invokes a familiar feeling of 2015 nostalgia, served as a platform for change, a glimpse into the endless possibilities of what social media could be. In 2016, Musically was rebranded as Tiktok, an app that would not only allow you to use and create your own sounds and videos but also shop, promote, dance, and lip sync all in one. Sunday January 19th, we have finally reached the end of the beginning, tiktok will be banned.
The theory is that tik tok is being removed from the app store come january 19th. The public will no longer be able to purchase the app nor redownload it.
The common misconception is that Tiktok will cease to exist, this is not the case. The app will slowly start to fade away because it will no longer be receiving the constant updates that it needs to function properly. Without these updates, the app will glitch and be so slow to the point where it becomes unusable.
A huge part of Tik-Tok is the beloved influencers. These are people who make a living off of promoting products, filming every moment of their existence, and entertaining us mindless scrollers. With the alleged TikTok shut down there is uncertainty in the influencer waters, questions on the future of the profession as a whole.
Despite the setback, influencers will most likely transfer to other platforms such as instagram and twitter making them less at risk than the real victim: the consumers.
For the last seven years, Tiktok has become a lifeline for many people supplying them with entertainment, recommendations, and even life advice making it one of the hardest goodbyes in the social media world.
The reasons for this shut down have been theorized in a million different ways. Some are logical such as the platform is making America less advanced and people are consuming it in a negatively alarming fashion. Other theories are more questionable such as the app being a ploy for the chinese government to swoop in and steal information.
Whether or not these prove to be true, one thing remains the same: too much of anything can be harmful. TikTok being banned is not an ending but a precaution. While many deeply mourn the beloved app, maybe this ban will serve as a chance to reevaluate social media and just how much it truly matters.
As for the ban and if it will actually happen, time can only tell. If it does get banned, TikTok will live on in our memories, a fond recollection of the culture that our generation helped create.
