In 2016, Zhang Yiming, the founder of the Chinese company ByteDance, created the popular app TikTok. TikTok is a social media platform with short videos. The videos range from several seconds up to 10 minutes. The videos can be lip syncing videos, dancing videos or various internet trends.
While TikTok is popular among Americans, the United States government deemed it unsafe in 2020. Some of the concerns included the Chinese government pressuring ByteDance into passing along American information and the promotion of Chinese propaganda through the unique algorithm.
TikTok’s algorithm is unlike any other social media platform due to the app’s quick collection of data which is then analyzed by artificial intelligence. This allows TikTok to tailor users’ for you pages with videos that align with their interests. This personalization feature is what has made the app so popular.
In 2024, TikTok was the most downloaded app globally, with over 1.5 billion monthly users. The total number of users is expected to keep growing. By 2029, the predicted number of downloads is 2.3 billion
The algorithm allowed creators to have an online fan base. Another special feature is that not all creators have to be famous celebrities. TikTok has many micro-influencers who aren’t as well known as huge celebrities but are still considered influencers.
Creators are presented with many opportunities as well. “Some creators can use the platform to gain brand deals and connections through the connections that TikTok and other social media provides,” said Sophia Foad. Even though there are other forms of social media, TikTok has proven to be the most useful
However, the algorithm will soon change. On Sept. 25, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order which approved the reconstruction of TikTok in the US. This new deal means ByteDance will own less than twenty percent of Tik Tok with the rest going to an American company: Oracle. The deal is estimated to be $14 billion.
The new algorithm will emphasize factors like watch time, key search words and local content promotion. Users are not exactly excited about the new update. It is hard to say if the update will be better for the app since the new algorithm hasn’t been released yet.
Many users, however, prefer the new algorithm instead of a total TikTok ban.
TikTok was temporarily banned in the US on January 19th 2025. Many users had mixed emotions about this. “I tried to view the ban as a positive thing,” senior Bella Yarbrough said. “I viewed it as a way to spend less time on my phone.” Countless people find themselves endlessly scrolling on TikTok everyday. This is known as doomscrolling. It is easy to get sucked into social media and scroll for hours.
As TikTok continues to change and develop, hopefully it will no longer be a threat to US national security.
