Opinion: What Is Happening With TikTok In The U.S.? Chronicle Of A Social Network Caught In Limbo

Why did the U.S. shut down TikTok, and what’s next? From security concerns and political maneuvers to wild theories and tech giants battling for control, here’s what the future holds in this unfolding drama

Some of my friends in the United States were devastated a few days ago, before January 19th, when TikTok was supposed to die forever—and then didn’t.

There are plenty of social media networks, but the Chinese app conquered millions of hearts—170 million in the U.S.—with its special equation combining a unique algorithm, an intuitive design, and an iconic “vibe”.

The popular social media network was shut down by the company on Saturday 18th at night, before it faced legal repercussions. The blackout lasted about 12 hours.

After all the sad goodbyes, all the American Tiktokers sharing videos literally crying over losing such precious cyberspace, and all the drama behind the intimate and controversial confessions a few content creators made before “losing their accounts,” the video-sharing app began to make a slow comeback, ultimately “saved” by Trump.

We were all confused.

News Daddy, the popular reporter Dylan Page on TikTok—who said goodbye to his American followers and dyed his hair for the TikTok ban—shared a post flabbergasted.

@dylan.pageTHIS IS JUST GETTING TOO MUCH!!

♬ original sound – Dylan Page

Even as non-U.S. residents, users worldwide followed the situation closely for weeks, listening to their favorite American creators’ suggestions for staying in touch through other platforms and waiting to see what would happen.

And now, we have more questions. Was this a political stunt? A crazy business move? Was it all planned from the beginning? Are Mr. Beast and Musk fighting against each other to buy ByteDance’s app? Will TikTok die in 75 days?

A Beloved Algorithm

One thing is certain and was confirmed during the shutdown: TikTok has a big influence in the United States and worldwide. Its special and secret algorithm is like Coca-Cola’s recipe now, and Meta, X, Bluesky, and every other popular platform wish they had such a unique product.

The drama surrounding TikTok’s power began years ago when U.S. authorities realized it wasn’t just a popular and mesmerizing platform but also a tool capable of easily collecting user data and potentially sharing it with the Chinese government.

In 2020, Donald Trump attempted to ban the social media app from app stores over national security concerns, but the ban was halted. Later, the Biden administration also acknowledged TikTok’s strong ties to the Chinese government through its parent company, ByteDance.

The solution for this security concern was announced last year in March when lawmakers passed the bill: TikTok must be sold to an American company or face a ban.

Naturally, ByteDance refused and multiple events began to unfold. A group of TikTok creators filed a suit against the U.S. government for the intention of banning the app as it violates the First Amendment and their right to free speech—the same argument Meta used to eliminate its fact-checking program. They were, of course, financially supported by TikTok.

In June, Reuters reported that TikTok was secretly working on a copy of its algorithm to create a special new version, separated from ByteDance, only for U.S. users, and requested employees to separate millions of codes for the new program. Tiktok said this was 100% false and “inaccurate.”

Multiple Theories

For months, countless theories and speculations circulated, attempting to explain what was happening.

A few social media users and experts claimed TikTok’s shutdown was just a political stunt. Donald Trump, the one who started the war against TikTok, is now seen as the “savior” of TikTok, gaining popularity among Gen Z Americans and reaffirming his power and authority in major decisions with social impact in the country.

TikTok publicly thanked Trump—supporting this theory—but others also consider this to be just a business move, a strategy to be on Trump’s good side—just like Musk, Zuckerberg, and recently Sam Altman have done.

The national security concerns—the main reason why the United States is banning the app—have been challenged by millions of users who, in an act of rebellion against the government, decided to join the Chinese social network RedNote—Xiaohongshu in Chinese. A platform whose very name carries political connotations, possibly an allegory to The Little Red Book by Mao Zedong—an icon of Chinese communism used as propaganda and an ideological strategy during the Cultural Revolution.

And Americans have even been learning Mandarin Chinese. Duolingo confirmed that they noticed a 216% peak in Chinese learning in the U.S. just days before the ban, and during the migration to the new Chinese app—as the default app language is Mandarin and most users only Speak Chinese.

oh so NOW you’re learning mandarin

— Duolingo (@duolingo) January 14, 2025

Hundreds of users, considering the ban as a move by the government to control the population, were sharing videos saying they don’t care about the Chinese government using their data, and others started spreading another popular theory on social media: Meta wants to buy TikTok.

@stuffbypaolo Meta just bought TikTok… …yeah, no they didn’t. Just wanted to debunk this one (as it stands so far at least) as obviously the TikTok ban is a big topic at the moment. #technology #gaming #savetiktok #tiktokban ♬ original sound – Paolo

Other theories maintain a capitalist focus. While TikTok was down, other businesses began to take action. Meta, “coincidentally,” shared new video features on January 19—as other social media platforms did, adding honey to their products, eager to attract all those grieving TikTok users to their apps.

Instagram announced a new video-editing tool called Edits, and Bluesky and X updated their feeds to make it easier to see more videos and recreate the TikTok experience.

But there’s nothing like TikTok, not even TikTok.

Something Changed

After the shutdown, Tiktok users were gradually getting back access to their accounts but the platform seemed to have changed. Many described it as “weird vibes,” and others started to notice different behaviors and even censorship.

“I don’t think the old TikTok we knew really exists anymore,” said content creator Alex Pearlman to the Washington Post. He also confirmed a shift in the platform’s “vibes” and getting videos taken down. Could it be the new algorithm TikTok was duplicating for U.S. users?

TikTok said they did not change the algorithm and that certain features might be unstable while they get restored.

According to Reuters, many users claimed they could no longer find certain content related to Luigi Mangione—accused of killing a UnitedHealth executive—or the Free Palestine movement.

Comedian Pat Loller said a satirical video he posted in reference to Elon Musk’s hand gesture at Trump’s recent inauguration event was restricted. “I’ve never seen this before, and it is still there. It says ‘sharing is limited to one chat at a time,'” said Loller to Reuters.

Users fear that the censorship and changes are related to the new TikTok owner—or potential buyer.

What To Expect In The Next Few Days

All we know for sure is that TikTok’s ban has been delayed 75 days to negotiate and address security concerns. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week to pause the ban and mitigate risks.

Now, tech giants and celebrities are competing to win the best deal to purchase TikTok. Trump confirmed he has been talking to multiple potential buyers and that a decision should be made in 30 days.

The popular content creator Jimmy Donaldson known as Mr. Beast has publicly shared his interest in buying the platform and even changed his bio in TikTok to “New CEO of TikTok?”

But he is not the only one. According to TIME, other powerful contendants including Elon Must, Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, Oracle co-founder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison, and the AI startup Perplexity are bidding on the platform.

The latest developments indicate that the future of TikTok in the U.S. will rest in the hands of the best negotiator who manages to reach an agreement that appeals to both Chinese businesspeople and Trump.