{"id":786,"date":"2025-01-17T14:36:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T15:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asian-idol.com\/?p=786"},"modified":"2025-02-20T15:01:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T15:01:23","slug":"tiktok-the-most-exciting-and-controversial-social-media-app-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/asian-idol.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/17\/tiktok-the-most-exciting-and-controversial-social-media-app-on-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"TikTok: The most exciting, and controversial, social media app on the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"TikTok

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TikTok<\/a> has only been around in the US since August 2018, but it\u2019s become the defining social media app of Gen Z<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The app once known as Musical.ly was bought by the Beijing-based internet company ByteDance in 2017. Though it relaunched as virtually identical to Musical.ly<\/a>, TikTok quickly transformed into something more like Vine: a goofy place for weird comedy, memes, and ironic inside jokes. In doing so, the platform has made famous tons of fledgling comedians, singers, dancers, actors, and normal teenagers \u2014 becoming \u201cTikTok famous\u201d<\/a> is now a popular goal for high schoolers.<\/p>\n

Its legions of underage users, of course, have landed the company in hot water on several occasions. In February 2019, it was hit by a record-breaking $5.7 million FTC fine<\/a> for illegally collecting data from children under 13.<\/p>\n

That it is based in Beijing, too, has made it a target of skepticism. TikTok has been accused of censoring pro-Hong Kong videos<\/a>, and it was found to be banning LGBTQ content<\/a> in countries like Turkey. TikTok is now facing an investigation<\/a> by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which aims to determine if the app poses a threat to American citizens.<\/p>\n

At least one other person is not thrilled about TikTok\u2019s rise to dominance: Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook founder has tried and failed to buy, then kill TikTok <\/a>with his copycat product, Lasso, which did not make any inroads.<\/p>\n

To learn more about TikTok, listen to Today, Explained. <\/em>Vox\u2019s daily explainer podcast has an episode all about the app<\/a> and another one that breaks down a TikTok meme, OK boomer<\/a>.<\/p>\n