TikTok: From Harmless Entertainment to Potential Political Weapon

By: Kate Bevins and Stella Handlin

TikTok, a social media app known for revolutionizing short-form entertainment and taking the younger generation by storm, recently finalized a $14 billion deal with new ownership funded by US investors. This deal came as a result of threats from both the Biden and Trump administration to ban the app due to concern over data collection and influence from China. A company called ByteDance previously owned the app, with founder Chinese CEO Zhang Yiming. Both the US government and the general public had fears of the People’s Republic of China government utilizing data from TikTok users and manipulating content on the app to serve its own interests. Despite the alleged goal of the new venture to enhance privacy on the app, some question this as major investors with control over the algorithm have political ties to President Trump that could potentially lead to political bias on the app. This uncertainty means TikTok users, especially younger generations, must use the app while conscious of bias and propaganda. Becoming educated on social media’s role in the current political landscape is the only way to prevent manipulation through social media, and TikTok is just one example of the treacherous risks that come with allowing companies to use personal data and manipulate an algorithm meant for entertainment.

The new entity that now owns TikTok, called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, is 80% owned by companies such as Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. The reason this new ownership leaves room for concern is that Oracle’s CEO, Larry Ellison, has been an open ally, donor, and advisor to President Trump, creating potential political motives that are difficult to overlook. 

Ellison has donated millions to the republican cause, and, according to the Desert Sun, hosted a Trump fundraiser for his campaign in February 2020. 

Highschool junior Annabelle Paquette often sees political content and believes this information on the app “can be inaccurate and biased, so it's damaging when teens start to form judgements based on that and can lead to confusion” Teenagers are extremely impressionable, so feeding specific political content into user algorithms can potentially be utilized by the Trump administration in attempts to leverage voters. 

A Pew Research study found that "Roughly half of 18- to 29-year-olds say they go on TikTok at least once a day, compared with just 5% of adults ages 65 and older.” suggesting that this app is an important location to sway a huge demographic of voters. This creates strong motives for attempting to gain coverage on the app and potentially explains why Trump went from threatening a ban to TikTok, to becoming a full-fledged supporter after the new ownership. Even Trump himself recognized how beneficial TikTok was for his own self-interests, mentioning on September 19th, when discussing plans to make the sale, that he "became a fan" of the app, and “it helped [him] win the election in a landslide”. With close relations to new owners of the app, Trump can potentially have a say in what happens behind the scenes, and what content the algorithm pushes or tries to hide. Along with the new ownership came a new term of privacy and conditions on the app, and with thousands of teens clicking agree without giving it a second glance, it becomes clear why TikTok can potentially become a location for manipulation and propaganda. 17 year old Molly Garvey was an example of this. She hit accept, because that’s what she "always does”, then later, “my friends told me what it said, and I thought that that was really bad but by then it was too late.” This new terms of service update includes more aggressive data collection for users, allowing the app to access precise location and personal information about users.
Trump's control of TikTok would not be the first time he has made efforts to control the media. Recently, Paramount appeased the Trump administration in an agreement to pay a $16 million settlement regarding a lawsuit that many thought Paramount could have won if they had fought for it. Many see this deal as a payoff due to Paramount wanting to merge with Skydance and needing approval from the Trump administration to make this happen. Skydance was founded by Oracle’s founder’s son, David Ellison. Many believe this merger, now that it is approved, could alter the directions of companies like CBS to favor Trump. In an interview with PBS, Anna Gomez, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission sees this as “just another part of this administration's campaign of censorship and control.”

The Trump administration is changing the way that politics can shape the media, and it is both an incredibly powerful tool, as well as a weapon. He has made efforts to use his influence and power to control all media outlets that he believes can help promote his own agenda. Trump’s potential influence over TikTok means that gen z voters specifically are at risk of being fed biased and untrue propaganda. As a consumer of media, this means that it is now more important than ever to be an active, not a passive, consumer of media: think critically, question everything, and remain aware.