01agtx said:
You're talking changing a few words though, not entire topics. Meta will de-platform you, shadow ban you, get rid of your followers, etc for posting about certain topics, even if you are just asking a question.
I stand by what I said. Much more free speech on TikTok than on any other platform.
I'll clarify my disagreement. Why these types of platforms allow you to say something is as important as whether or not they allow you to say it. I don't agree that they are the most hands off social media platform for one, but I also don't believe for a second that the platform holder allows the discourse it does allow because they have a principled stand for free speech. They are owned by a corporation that is owned by a country that has very much demonstrated that free speech is not on their list of principles.
Why does the "why" matter? Because you are not talking about walking into a crowd of individuals and listening to disparate opinions on topics. You have a conductor at the top raising and lowering voices based upon their own designs. Meaning if I want to create an epidemic of self diagnosed mental health problems I raise discussions of mental health struggles. If I want to upset people about immigration (favorable or unfavorable) I raise those voices. Gender confusion? You got it. Anti capitalist sentiment/pro-China sentiment. You betcha.
By allowing anyone to say anything I gain the capacity to craft a reality that may not actually exist, but can force it into reality by normalizing it for people through exposure. How long does the norm TikTok user spend on the app in a week compared to the amount of time they engage in discussion with friends, family or colleagues? Likely longer on the app than they do conversing with any individual in their life and the people they interact with most are likewise spending more time on the app then conversing with anyone else.
When you're talking about a foreign (some might say hostile) entity possessing that power of attention over the mind's of a generation it becomes more than merely allowing people to express themselves, it becomes their capacity to influence.
Log in to X and see how many TikToks of ******ed Americans there are posting about how the norm Chinese person is more prosperous and taken care of than the norm American and ask yourself if TikTok would allow a counter narrative to formulate about their human rights abuses, racism, and phony economy.
