4 ms·

> What's the real threat of TikTok to the US? It's the same threat that Hollywood and Jazz music had to the USSR and the same threat that Facebook and Reddit h

by vkou 3y ago

> What's the real threat of TikTok to the US? It's the same threat that Hollywood and Jazz music had to the USSR and the same threat that Facebook and Reddit has to the CCP.

nullifidian 3y ago
Theoretically the first amendment forbids to go after this kind of "threat" then, since it would be like forbidding a citizen to read a foreign book.
mrguyorama 3y ago
This argument would be more relevant if the concern was "chinese cultural influence", but in tiktok, the algorithm is intentionally different for those in china vs those in the west, with drastic differences in what gets recommended. Ain't it funny how for themselves, the CCP wants tiktok users to see inspirational content and science and happy stuff, while the west gets whatever addicting smut we can manage to produce. The CCP also says kids in China shouldn't see gay stuff, and a certain 1980s chinese social movement. TikTok is literally the CCP attempting to influence americans. It's not okay when facebook does it, and should 100% be illegal, but american politicians DGAF about that, but it sure as hell shouldn't be okay for the CCP to do that either. Just because the american government is unwilling to reign in local corporations doesn't mean they should also abstain from doing their job with foreign threats.
- nullifidian 3y ago
  >the CCP wants tiktok users to see inspirational content and science and happy stuff, while the west gets whatever addicting smut we can manage to produce. If TikTok was a US based company I bet the content would be about the same. It's in the very American capitalism-influenced cultural tradition to have business practices that skirt the edge of the legal/acceptable to maximize profits, and patronizing speech regulations (recommending science instead of "addicting smut") are as un-American as it gets.
  - nullifidian 3y ago
    s/patronizing/paternalistic/
- ArchOversight 3y ago
  > TikTok is literally the CCP attempting to influence americans. With lots and lots of gay/queer/trans content and cooking/baking on my FYP it seems to be doing an awfully good job at making me want to spend time away from the computer and back in the kitchen making delicious food and putting on makeup.
  - mrguyorama 3y ago
    FYI, both Russia and China believe that "woke" stuff is corrosive to society, which is why they are fine displaying it to western audiences but not for their own people. They genuinely believe that pushing MORE LGBTQ style stuff will destroy western society. It's a common authoritarian pastime to point and scream at the "different" people for all of society's problems. I think they're wrong. But what kind of content do you get about china? What about Taiwan, or hong kong? What kind of content do you get about the US as a country? How do you know that the CCP isn't influencing you through subtle recommendation changes?
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    What do you mean by "trans content"? If it's trans people talking about their transition, it seems to be an interest category that would only be offered by TikTok if you're actively interesting in it and engaging with that type of content. If you mean "generic content made by people who just happen to be trans", that's pretty normal. In the real world you also can't go around asking a street performer to get out of your face because they happen to be trans. The same with content creators making funny videos and showing a rainbow flag. Why would that be filtered out?
    - ArchOversight 3y ago
      I mean trans creators that are talking about their transition, their struggles, and anything else they want to talk about. I know I am getting exactly what I am interested in/engaging in... I was simply pointing out that the OP's choice of words stating that TikTok is trying to manipulate users with their FYP seems off-base. I don't want them to get out of my face. I am not complaining about the content and the selection, I am ecstatic, but its a far cry from media that is meant to make me angry.

by vkou 3y ago

> What's the real threat of TikTok to the US? It's the same threat that Hollywood and Jazz music had to the USSR and the same threat that Facebook and Reddit has to the CCP.

nullifidian 3y ago

Theoretically the first amendment forbids to go after this kind of "threat" then, since it would be like forbidding a citizen to read a foreign book.

mrguyorama 3y ago

This argument would be more relevant if the concern was "chinese cultural influence", but in tiktok, the algorithm is intentionally different for those in china vs those in the west, with drastic differences in what gets recommended. Ain't it funny how for themselves, the CCP wants tiktok users to see inspirational content and science and happy stuff, while the west gets whatever addicting smut we can manage to produce. The CCP also says kids in China shouldn't see gay stuff, and a certain 1980s chinese social movement. TikTok is literally the CCP attempting to influence americans. It's not okay when facebook does it, and should 100% be illegal, but american politicians DGAF about that, but it sure as hell shouldn't be okay for the CCP to do that either. Just because the american government is unwilling to reign in local corporations doesn't mean they should also abstain from doing their job with foreign threats.

nullifidian 3y ago
>the CCP wants tiktok users to see inspirational content and science and happy stuff, while the west gets whatever addicting smut we can manage to produce. If TikTok was a US based company I bet the content would be about the same. It's in the very American capitalism-influenced cultural tradition to have business practices that skirt the edge of the legal/acceptable to maximize profits, and patronizing speech regulations (recommending science instead of "addicting smut") are as un-American as it gets.
- nullifidian 3y ago
  s/patronizing/paternalistic/
ArchOversight 3y ago
> TikTok is literally the CCP attempting to influence americans. With lots and lots of gay/queer/trans content and cooking/baking on my FYP it seems to be doing an awfully good job at making me want to spend time away from the computer and back in the kitchen making delicious food and putting on makeup.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  FYI, both Russia and China believe that "woke" stuff is corrosive to society, which is why they are fine displaying it to western audiences but not for their own people. They genuinely believe that pushing MORE LGBTQ style stuff will destroy western society. It's a common authoritarian pastime to point and scream at the "different" people for all of society's problems. I think they're wrong. But what kind of content do you get about china? What about Taiwan, or hong kong? What kind of content do you get about the US as a country? How do you know that the CCP isn't influencing you through subtle recommendation changes?
- wkat4242 3y ago
  What do you mean by "trans content"? If it's trans people talking about their transition, it seems to be an interest category that would only be offered by TikTok if you're actively interesting in it and engaging with that type of content. If you mean "generic content made by people who just happen to be trans", that's pretty normal. In the real world you also can't go around asking a street performer to get out of your face because they happen to be trans. The same with content creators making funny videos and showing a rainbow flag. Why would that be filtered out?
  - ArchOversight 3y ago
    I mean trans creators that are talking about their transition, their struggles, and anything else they want to talk about. I know I am getting exactly what I am interested in/engaging in... I was simply pointing out that the OP's choice of words stating that TikTok is trying to manipulate users with their FYP seems off-base. I don't want them to get out of my face. I am not complaining about the content and the selection, I am ecstatic, but its a far cry from media that is meant to make me angry.