Former US president Trump tried to ban the video-sharing social network mobile application TikTok because “it poses a risk to the United States’ national security.” At the same time, Microsoft began to discuss the possibility of acquiring TikTok in the United States. TikTok has received attention from various media for a while, but what is the US prohibition’s truth? In this article, I will try to analyse it from a cultural perspective.
America：cultural imperialism
Due to the United States’ unique position in world politics and economy, America has created and still maintains power toward other civilisations. It is known as cultural imperialism. Walt Disney is a typical example of how people perceive the United States’ influence globally. Large American companies like Walt Disney have become a portrayal of American culture’s power and Americanization essence.
TikTok: cultural counterflow
When the United States was still immersed in its cultural colonialism, the rise of TikTok worldwide gave a counterattack to Americanization. Its popularity is a huge challenge to the export of American culture on a global scale.
TikTok is a very different app from the apps previously used by American users. When you open this app, the most obvious thing is: the first thing you see is not a friend’s update, but a page called “For You”. It is an algorithmic dynamic based on the videos you have interacted with or the videos you watched. Thus, for counter-cultural colonisation, TikTok is undoubtedly a successful example.
Ban TikTok：Americanization VS Counterflow
When self-interest is damaged, no one will ignore it. In the face of TikTok being gradually sought after by the young American generation, the US government decided to limit its influence within the United States to protect American culture and reduce the infiltration from other cultures. Lawmakers expressed concern that TikTok might promote pro-Chinese propaganda to young Americans or censor politically sensitive content. What’s more, many conservative politicians, including Mr Trump, appear to care more about appearing tough on China than preventing potential harm to TikTok users.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with the argument that TikTok is an urgent threat to the United States national security. Or, to put it more precisely, I don’t believe that TikTok is essentially a threat to American cultural colonisation. The actual beneficiaries of this cultural policy are local media enterprises in the United States. The purpose is to maintain American culture’s dominance globally and reduce the export of other cultures in the US. TikTok is just a victim of America protecting the local media industry. Cultural policy is a reflection of economic regulation. Further to say, we could also understand the US government’s attitude when a new economy emerges. In the future, globalisation will gradually become the mainstream. We cannot maintain the traditional concept that a specific culture is the dominant one but accepts different cultures’ common prosperity. Different cultures collide and interweave each other to develop a more powerful national culture.