• treadful@lemmy.zip
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    2 months ago

    The public that wants TikTok will get TikTok, and the public is going to stop pestering politicians about it.

    Has their user base mobilized at all? Maybe it’s just because I don’t use TikTok but I haven’t really heard much from their users about the ban. Which has been kind of unexpected.

    • firadin@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Apparently TikTok sent out push notifications telling users to call their representatives. Minors were being provided instructions with their representatives’ phone numbers and contact info, but didn’t even know who they were calling and were asking basic questions like “What is Congress?”

      Kind of shows the amount of power TikTok has over American youth.

      • someguy3@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I love how they demonstrated they aren’t influencing people by sending out a mass message telling people what to do. It doesn’t get any more comical than that.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Malign influence. Telling people to participate in democracy isn’t a bad thing.

          • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Yes but telling an army of thirteen year olds doing dance videos to call representatives is worthless, if anything it hurts TikToks argument since it proves they’re doing the influencing of Americans that the government wants them not doing

          • someguy3@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            You missed the entire point. They declared 1) We are not doing anything of that sort, then: 2) they did exactly things of that sort. It’s like a slap stick comedy show.

      • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        And facebook tells its users to vote. Encouraging people to make their voices heard and engage in the democratic process is a good thing.

        • Stovetop@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I’d say absolutely, if Cambridge Analytica wasn’t a thing. I’d honestly rather have people not vote than be motivated to go vote because they think the liberal communists are putting fluoride in water to make frogs gay.

          It’s somehow always the organizations and individuals who are trying to manipulate people that seem to care the most about people’s voices being heard in politics. Churches, social media, daytime TV, that crazy uncle you don’t like to talk to at family gatherings…