It’s critical that I first preface I am not one of those, “I was born in the wrong generation! I don’t like new things! The 50’s were so much better! New stuff is bad!” kind of people. I can assure you that type of attitude bothers me more than TikTok ever will and my negative disposition toward TikTok is not simply because it’s the trendiest app in the world right now.

I still do not understand the “hype” around the app. What is so appealing about guys who wear earrings and black nail polish? What do people find entertaining anyway? Dancing? Reenactment? Random jamboree? Whatever it is, I  find the majority of TikTok “content” to be worthless, cringy, and downright scary.

Seriously, some people on TikTok make WEIRD videos. Okay but… whatever, you know? I really don’t care what people enjoy. Different strokes for different blokes. I can just turn a blind eye and blissfully move on with my life.

Similar to other social media platforms, the success of TikTok’s content creators is molded around sheer popularity. That includes views, likes, shares, etc. In order to be a famous “TikToker”, you must have a large following and receive a lot of likes. Apparently, however, you must also reach a certain amount of standards involving race, religion, and attractiveness.

Leaked memos from TikTok’s moderation guidelines (rulebook essentially) acquired by a German “Digital Rights Website” called, Netzpolitik, revealed that certain types of users are having their content deliberately restricted and even outright denied from gaining popularity. Measures taken in this regard include restricting a user’s content to only viewers in the user’s home country, meaning it is not available worldwide like the majority of TikTok content. In extreme cases, user content that becomes “too popular” is automatically removed from TikTok’s trending page. So, who are these mysterious users that TikTok is so desperate to keep out of the spotlight? Well, that would include:

• The physically disabled
• Those with “facial disfigurements”
• Those with autism/Down’s Syndrome
• Homosexuals (Really?!)

I mean, come on! There has to be some silver lining to this, right? Well, yes I suppose. The idea that these users must be protected strongly implies that they aren’t normal, so they can’t use TikTok like normal people.

Did you know that TikTok is actually owned by a Chinese company? There is a high possibility that TikTok is an elaborate Chinese software designed to gather all of your personal information. The app was designed to gain popularity in the West side of the globe so that you can get taken advantage of and so Beijing can extend their shadow of totalitarian censorship across the globe. Just let that important detail sink in. After all, I did say that I believe the app is dangerous, remember?