TikTok is in trouble. In April, Congress passed a bill that would force the Chinese owners of the video-app juggernaut, which has 170 million users in the United States alone, to either sell to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban. The reason? Lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could use the app to spy on Americans or spread misinformation, a concern that TikTok says is unfounded.
A long road of legislation and legal challenges lies ahead before TikTok could change ownership or get wiped from app stores in the U.S. But imagining what our nation would look like without TikTok throws into sharp relief just how much the app has worked its way into American culture.
TikTok, which officially landed in the U.S. in 2018, was the most downloaded app in the country, and the world, in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Online videos have been a staple of American pop culture for years, but TikTok put the pieces together in a new way: Unlike Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat, TikTok didn’t build itself around social connections. Its goal is pure, uncut entertainment.
Even Americans who’ve never opened the app have lived in a culture that exists downstream of what happens there. Here are just some of the ways TikTok has become part of our world. —Sapna Maheshwari
TikTok is in trouble. In April, Congress passed a bill that would force the Chinese owners of the video app to either sell to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban. TikTok has 170 million users in the United States alone. But lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could use the app to spy on Americans. There are also concerns it could be used to spread misinformation. TikTok says the concerns are unfounded.
There is a long road of legislation and legal challenges ahead. It will take time before TikTok could change ownership or be removed from app stores in the U.S. But it would be hard to imagine what our country would look like without TikTok. The app has worked its way into American culture.
TikTok landed in the U.S. in 2018. It became the most downloaded app in the country, and the world, in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Online videos have been a staple of American pop culture for years, but TikTok put the pieces together in a new way. It was unlike Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat. TikTok didn’t build itself around social connections. Its goal is pure, uncut entertainment.
Even Americans who’ve never opened the app have lived in a culture that exists downstream of what happens there. Here are just some of the ways TikTok has become part of our world. —Sapna Maheshwari