On January 19, 2025, more than 170 million Americans opened TikTok to find only an error message instead of the latest must-have beauty product or viral dance trend. The wildly popular short-form video platform—deeply embedded in U.S. culture—went dark as a federal law signed in April 2023 officially took effect. TikTok’s 14-hour disappearance, coupled with uncertainty about its fate once President Trump’s 75-day pause expires, has ignited a wave of reactions ranging from outrage to confusion.
Melissa Yang, Professor and Faculty Lead of Communication, studies and teaches influencer culture. We recently chatted with Yang about TikTok’s role in our society and the big-picture questions its possible disappearance has begged.
Interview has been edited for clarity and length.
To set the stage, can you share insights on the cultural impact of TikTok and its role in modern communications?
What’s interesting about this app is that it almost represents a microcosm of our society. It captures so much of what’s happening day-to-day: people running their businesses, sharing their opinions, interacting with other people, and just living their lives. Four out of 10 young adults regularly get their news via the app, according to a Pew Research survey in September 2024, so it’s become more than a social app or a place for entertainment. It’s a source for accessing all kinds of information, whether that’s a new recipe, makeup routine, or the latest news headlines. According to a Forbes report in March 2024, Gen Zs are more likely to use TikTok as their search platform than Google.
But it’s also a community where people have forged real connections. Creators and influencers on TikTok refer to their audience as a community, not followers. In particular, it’s offered a space for marginalized individuals—members of the LGBTQ community and racial minorities—to feel safe and less moderated or “trolled” compared to Instagram.
What about the rise and success of the TikTok Shop and advertising on the app? What aspects of the app concern you?
Of course, I can’t talk about TikTok’s place in our culture without mentioning how it’s impacted our consumption. It’s changed how brands and companies sell their products and provided a platform for them to market directly and intimately to consumers via influencers. I would argue that it also encourages materialism, something that’s performed really well in capitalist society. In fact, ByteDance intends TikTok to be like its Chinese counterpart, Douyin, functioning as a social shopping platform rather than simply a social platform.
Part of the reason that TikTok has been so successful as a marketing tool is due to the very individualized algorithm. The hyper-sensitive content can be too effective, leading to an addictive quality that has negative impacts, particularly on the younger generation. There’s also the potential (and proven examples) of its ability to amplify misinformation much faster than a traditional media source.
TikTok plays an increasingly important role in our culture. What are some implications of the app becoming unavailable in the U.S.?
During the 14-hour period that TikTok went dark, many users experienced a true sense of loss. A loss of connection, emotional loss, and, for small businesses, influencers, or creators, a financial loss, too. Beyond that, it also forced many users, especially younger ones, to think about issues they’d never considered.
One of my students shared the process she went through to download all of her data from the app so that she could access it before it disappeared. In addition to questions about content they’ve created and communities they’ve built, it’s forced many to grapple with the issue of data privacy more tangibly. What does it mean for a huge digital media company like ByteDance, or even Meta or Google, to have access to their personal data such as usage, biometrics, contact, and location data? What kinds of policies should our government establish to regulate that, even with companies based in the U.S.?
It’s also allowed for discussions about freedom of speech and First Amendment rights in a context that many young people have never experienced. TikTok is right at their fingertips and so relatable to them, and for many, this is the first time they’ve been confronted with examining what free speech means to them.
In addition to these tangible, immediate impacts, this situation seems to be opening doors to meaningful conversations about topics that don’t often feel relatable to young adults. Can you share more examples?
It has brought a lack of media literacy to light unexpectedly. In our field, there’s a theory called news framing. Essentially, the specific words used in a story and how stories are built can suggest a certain perspective on an issue. In this case, the actual problem here isn’t just about the ban. The impetus to the ban, and the other half of the story, is that ByteDance must sell or divest ownership to mitigate data concerns. A simple clickbaity headline omits that complexity—plus the other layers, like the geopolitical tension between the U.S. and China, that this ban symbolizes.
The majority of the media coverage focuses on the ban, not on the reasoning behind it. Using a word like “ban” can stoke fear and create more buzz than leading with describing the legal ultimatum that the U.S. has forced ByteDance into. When talking with my students, some had no idea how long President Trump’s order would postpone the ban or that it didn’t actually “fix” the problem. This highlights the lack of bandwidth or news literacy that much of the public must process to truly understand the full picture.
So, where do we go from here?
Ultimately, this situation has brought an opportunity to increase discourse around equipping people to be more news and digital literate. As an educator, that means using my classroom as a space to have intentional conversations and unpack the issues at hand, not just breeze by them as news headlines or a story they saw on TikTok.