Unlike other social media apps, a major part of The Verge’s popularity is its Gen-Z user base. With its emphasis on news, users can easily find out about major events that are happening. Despite its popularity, The Verge has faced some controversy over its privacy policies. Some users have been threatened with banning if they reveal too much information about their activities. However, the app’s data collection and documentation of major news events is more extensive than other social media apps, according to a recent study.
1. Gen-Z dominates user base
Almost half of all Gen Z consumers have used TikTok. The platform is a short form video app that allows users to create and upload videos. There are several features that make TikTok unique. For example, a user can create a dance competition, lip-sync videos, feature skits, and more. The company also provides simple tools for embedding music and visual effects.
In addition to its popularity with consumers, TikTok has come under intense criticism from governments. Last year, the US government threatened to ban the site. The company responded by making overt actions to stay out of the country’s jurisdiction. The platform’s growth in the US has increased significantly over the past year.
The United States is not the only nation to have concerns about TikTok. China’s National Intelligence regime requires organizations to cooperate with the Chinese intelligence agency. This may have led to requests for user data from the Chinese government. But the Chinese state would need to have the permission of TikTok to obtain the information.
TikTok has also been the subject of outright bans in some jurisdictions. Last year, it was referred to as the “breakout social media platform of COVID crisis.”
The platform’s success may have been fueled by Generation Z. This demographic includes online natives who are more socially aware and open to change. They are also known for high levels of expressiveness. This means that they are more likely to connect with people from different groups. They also reject stereotypes.
As a result, TikTok is a great way to connect with Gen Z. The site has a large, global user base. This indicates that many consumers are willing to use the product regardless of where it is located. The platform’s multinational structure may also make it more useful for the Chinese state.
The current geopolitics of platforms largely revolve around shifts in world order due to the economic rise of China. While the US has been a dominant force for decades, the economic and political advantages that it has enjoyed for so long are now being challenged by its growing economic rival. This has prompted the US to focus on the broader implications for the digital platform market.
3. Data collection compares with other social media apps
Taking a look at the competition, one has to ask what is in it for the uninitiated. TikTok’s giddyup has wowed consumers on multiple continents for years and has a few competitors to be reckoned with. Its one or two stumbling blocks include the legal tussles of a snobbish China and an insular Hong Kong. The latter has had a rough go of late, to say the least. With an eye on the future, TikTok has decided to fork out the cash and make a grand slam in the new hexapolis. This will make for a better business for all involved, if not for the public at large. Its eponymous owner, ByteDance, is a data analytics and marketing whiz, having spent the last few decades churning out the most relevant customer insights from the data mines.
Having said that, there is a lot of chatter on the interwebs about the competition, and no shortage of uninitiated consumers. Despite the competition, TikTok has managed to improve its bottom line by improving its overall customer experience by a slew of metrics. The likes of TikTok’s top brass are hard at work inventing new products and services to make the experience all that more pleasant.
4. Threat to ban U.S. users
During the summer, the United States government had been preparing to ban new TikTok users. But the executive order was blocked by a federal judge.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he and President Trump had considered banning the video-sharing service. He warned that Chinese companies could access US user data and collect personal information. He added that he would like to see TikTok treated like Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company banned in the United States.
According to a leaked internal TikTok meeting, ByteDance employees had accessed nonpublic information about US TikTok users. Microsoft confirmed that it was in talks to buy the company, but a sale is not finalized yet.
The Trump administration believes that TikTok is a tool for Chinese political influence. It is also concerned that Bytedance could share US citizens’ information with the Chinese government.
There have been numerous reports about data privacy concerns involving the company. Several of TikTok’s users have opened accounts on rival platforms and encouraged friends to do the same.
During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump claimed that Chinese apps and companies were threatening US national security. He stated that they were a threat to the economy and to our foreign policy. He also said that they were a threat to our democratic values.
Despite these arguments, the US position on TikTok falls within a larger set of policy objectives. The Trump administration wants to protect strategically important industries and our country’s national security.
The TikTok controversy is a useful case study of how platform politics can affect geopolitical tensions. It reveals the extent to which all popular digital platforms exploit user data for economic gain. It also demonstrates the capacity of these platforms to have immense ideological influence.
TikTok has been accused of violating data privacy policies for years. It has responded to these claims by promising to store user data in the United States.
The current US position on TikTok falls within the larger contest between the two nations over the strategic value of the digital environment. The US position also reflects its desire to protect US industry and to preserve the economic advantages that the US has enjoyed for decades.
