Social Media: To TRUMP or Not To TRUMP
The next time you scroll through Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, imagine a world without them. According to Statista, a whopping 3.6 billion people use social media worldwide; that’s almost half of the world’s population! As people continue to use social media every day for various purposes such as keeping up with friends and family, following the news, and self-expression, the topic of regulating these sites has become a hot one.
TikTok, the fairly new social media networking site that hosts short videos has surged in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic. An article from Mobile Marketer cites that from October 2019 to March 2020, the number of users in America soared 56% to just over 28 million users. The Chinese-owned app is ideal for Gen Z who is a generation that is more video-centric. In the month of April, Sensor Tower reported that the app saw $78 million from user spending, making it the number 1 non-game app overall and in Apple’s App Store. That’s right, Tik Tok has only been around for about 3 years, but it beat out the big dogs like YouTube and Netflix.
As popularity for the app increases, so has concerns from the American government. Earlier this month, Forty-Five announced that the U.S. was considering placing a ban on TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps as they were concerned about how the Chinese government may be using the data from American users. How ironic! Facebook has been through the fire about misusing their user’s data, but I guess that doesn’t matter since it is American-owned. Whether or not this ban is constitutional is left up to interpretation. At this point, we all know that the Trump administration finds a way to do what they want, regardless of implications or the moral good of people as a whole.
To TRUMP Social Media
Some people think that the government should have the ability to ban social networking sites. Often times, this mindset is influenced by the need for the government to have control over what their constituents are able to do as well as regulate these actions. This idea maintains the fact that one of the government’s main duties is to protect its people and enforce laws that do this. In certain societies, this may be the norm, but America prides itself on being the land of the free. When you start taking away the things that have become so integral to the American lifestyle, people begin to lose a part of their identity.
Not To TRUMP Social Media
Personally, I do not think that is constitutional for the government to ban an entire social networking site. The only way I see banning a social media platform necessary is if it is creating or inciting danger to people constantly. I think that having this type of control may stifle the freedom and independence that is protected and expected by Americans. In the same breath, I do stand on the fact that social media sites, not the government, should regulate content to filter out things that are detrimental to society such as hate speech. The government should implement guidelines for social media networks to follow in order to protect their people, but a ban is an extreme measure to me. By making sure we keep American ideals for all people at the forefront of this conversation, generations will continue to be able to enjoy using social media platforms, including TikTok.
