I've been a TikTok user for about 5 years. I've seen things change a lot on there. But, also, I know what I've seen is related to how their algorithm's model of my interests has changed. Their algorithm isn't a magic oracle, but I do think they've managed to implement something interesting.

Your mileage will vary. But, when I see folks dismiss the service as "that place where the kids do their little dances", those folks are telling me they have no idea what's going on with TikTok. (That, or maybe they're just faving every dancing kid they see?)

I haven't seen a teen dance on there in probably 3-4 years. I see cats & crows & critters, queer jokes, drag acts, nerd fandom stuff, political commentary, general life-in-america commentary, current news, ADHD & autism content - all stuff I'm interested in care about and it's all served up more reliably than on any other communications channel.

The main thing TikTok themselves seem to inject are incessant attempts to make me directly buy something - which, I mean, seems more honest than weird advertising.

I do have to work hard to keep the tinfoil hat from settling on my head, though. Maybe I'm soaking in "Chinese propaganda" so thick I don't perceive it? But it seems really suspect that my government's been able to turn on a dime so fast with this thing of all things.

My real tinfoil-hat notion brewing is that all "China" (or insert random adversary here) has to do to destabilize America is just let us talk about how fucked up shit is - they don't really have to nudge us at all.