Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
Jan. 19 was the day TikTok was officially banned in the country and the app was rendered unusable. But a popup message would appear on the login page telling users they were working on a solution to bring it back. Hours later, on the same day, a similar popup appeared announcing President Trump removed the ban and saved TikTok. The app is currently unavailable in the App Store and the Google Play store.
In 2020, TikTok made an impact on American culture and society during COVID-19 pandemic. It became in many ways for people to stay in touch and connected during a time of uncertainty. When society was entering out of the pandemic, stars and influencers saw their popularity grow especially through dance trends.
According to CNN, the app even changed how companies advertise their products. TikTok users would post videos or reviews of books they’ve read on the platform which would strike intriguement and popularity, using #BookTok to categorize the new following. The CNN’s article showed images from inside a Barnes and Nobles where there were tables with signs saying #BookTok on them.
Sabrina Carpenter’s new song “Espresso” went viral on the app along with other songs like Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True.”Aspiring music artists would post their songs on the platform in hopes of it getting the right attention, especially by a record company. Spotify has dedicated a playlist titled “Big On The Internet” to songs that have gone viral.
“Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok,’’ President Trump said in a social media post from The New York Times. “With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.’’ The ban came into effect after much debate between America and ByteDance, a Chinese-based company who own TikTok, to either sell their shares to an American company or the app is banned in the country. Since TikTok’s return, President Trump had also outlined that he would be signing an executive order to extend the time period before the law’s ban took effect after his inauguration.
According to The New York Times, there is a provision in the law allowing a president to issue a one-time 90 day extension if they can prove that “a qualified divestiture” is occurring. The interesting twist is that President Trump made plans to ban the app in 2020 during his first term, only to change his opinions on the ban and save the app at the start of his second term. The future of TikTok still remains uncertain but most Americans hope it will stick around for a long time.
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