Global Media

    Global media has a huge impact on the United States. As a country, we adapt and collect popular trends that are in other countries and bring them to the United States. Global media is the different forms of mass communication that reach all across the world. This can include T.V., radio, newspaper, and all kinds of social media platforms. TikTok is a great example of an app that is trending all over the world. 

    Some of our most popular apps today like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat were all created in the United States. Since being created they have grown their popularity worldwide and other countries have their own versions of these apps. On the other hand, Tik Tok was created in Beijing, China by a company called ByteDance. TikTok was originally called Musical.ly which was essentially the same app but since then has added a lot more features. Musical.ly was created by Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang in Shanghai, China in August 2014. Then the new owners took over changed the name and released TikTok in 2016. TikTok is currently rated the number one app in the world right now. Over 100 million Americans use TikTok daily along with other security risk apps. 

    In 2020 there was a lot of controversy when Donald Trump was our president. Trump attempted to ban the app from the United States because of the information that the app collects from its users. Trump wanted to ban TikTok from United States users because of the threat that was hovering over the US because of the tie we had to China through the app. Social media is a very dangerous place and we really can't grasp the amount of information someone can get through an app. After Trump was out of office the push to ban TikTok from the United States dwindled away. Here recently the topic of banning TikTok has started to rise once again. The difference between trying to ban TikTok in 2020 versus in today's time is it is not just Trump trying to ban the app from the United States, now it is the United States as a whole trying to ban the app. In the past year, the Biden Administration told the Chinese TikTok owners to sell off their portion of TikTok or they will lose their business from the United States altogether. In order to completely ban the app from the United States, the bill would have to be approved through the US House Foreign Affairs Committee which it has. Now this gives President Biden the go-ahead to ban the app as he pleases.

    The only problem with trying to ban an app as popular as TikTok is you are going to have people who love using the app so much that they are not going to want to give it up because they do not see the threat in using the app. Some people may be asking "What is the threat of having TikTok on your phone?" well here is your answer. When an individual downloads TikTok onto their device and agrees to the terms and conditions, they have basically let China access every piece of information inside their phone. The CCP also known as the Communist Party of China uses TikTok as a back door into all of the information you carry around with you daily and they just let us Americans do the work for them by using their app. TikTok has also found a way to track you and get away with it. The only way to keep TikTok from tracking you is to simply delete the app altogether. TikTok has found a way around Apple's privacy protections and even Google's privacy protections. TikTok knows your location based on your SIM card and IP address but if you grant them permission to your location then they will be able to know your exact location based on GPS in your device.

@helpmeharlan COLLEGE NEWS: Don’t be surprised if your school has banned TikTok. #college #news #socialmedia #tiktokban #auburn #us ♬ original sound - Harlan Cohen

    For the most part, TikTok is safe for most users but it is always a good idea to take extra precautions when you do not feel completely safe doing something. I read an analogy that said "Our home is safe, but we still use a home security system. In the same manner, TikTok is safe, but you should still exercise caution when using it." The terms and agreements are very lengthy so most of the time people just skip through it all and agree without really knowing what they are agreeing to because in reality we just want to use the app. TikTok abides by there rules in terms and agreements from what we can tell but there is always a loophole, especially through ads or random links that will end up getting information out of you through another source. TikTok puts in their terms and agreements that they collect the personal information that you disclose with them when you make your account and your user content so anything that you choose to post or comment. They also collect behavioral information such as the videos you view, things you search for, videos that you add to your favorites, and accounts that you follow so that they can curate your for-you page. TikTok also collects your public information from third-party profiles like Facebook. It can get a little sketchy when talking about the technical information that TikTok collects such as your IP addresses, device IDs, mobile carriers, operating systems, and the list goes on. If you purchase items through TikTok they will not be able to see your payment information, they will just be able to see what you purchased and keep track of how much you have spent. To use certain features on the app you must show proof of identity and this could be anything from your date of birth to showing your photo ID. 

    Overall, I think TikTok is a great app and is very entertaining for its users but every app like this comes with its risks. I am definitely curious to see what the future is for this app and to see if the United States follows through with the ban. I know there will definitely be a lot of sad people if we have to get rid of TikTok but I am sure it won't be long before another app is made to take its place. If the fact that apps like this can collect all kinds of data off of your devices scares you then you might as well just delete social media altogether and I know people who have because these apps are just going to keep getting more advanced.