Friend or Foe?: The Case of Banning TikTok

TikTok is everywhere. Well, not quite everywhere, but its influence and prevalence - specifically among US audiences - has raised flags for politicians, policymakers, educators, and parents alike. Currently, the US has the largest audience of active users with 148.92 billion users, with Generation Z (Gen Z) being the most active demographic on the platform. TikTok's influence can be quite scary, especially if you don't know how it's being used. Recent research has even pointed to Gen Z using TikTok to make more search queries than Google. But before we label TikTok as "good" or "bad" it's important to share some possible reasons that speak to the platform's popularity among the Gen Z audience.

Google Who?

TikTok has essentially become the go-to for many quick questions, product reviews, and even news updates. A majority of the Gen Z audience shared they receive a substantial amount of news and updates from TikTok; for example, a recent study revealed a majority of Black Gen Z audience members got information about the overturn of Roe v. Wade on TikTok. Knowledge sharing on TikTok can be seen as bipartisan considering both sides of an argument are available to users on the platform.

The Girls that Get, Get It

TikTok has been praised by Gen Z for its relatability, specifically through the use of language and gestures that resonate with the age demographic and other digital-savvy users. The information being in a digestible form increases accessibility to news they would not otherwise be as engaged with online.

Hey, You've Been Scrolling for a While Now

If you've ever scrolled on TikTok for an extended time, you may be familiar with the phrase. Currently, research has shown that Gen Z TikTok users are primarily passive in their TikTok use. Users on the platform spend more of their time reading comments and sharing videos than creating content. However, this is slightly different from what researchers traditionally view as negative passive use as there is still a level of awareness, engagement, and activity when scrolling through TikTok videos.

Whether TikTok is a friend or foe is truly up to you. However, it's important to continually gauge the ways the platform is being used to learn more and explore different ideas.