Tom CoatesI feel like I can hold in my head two things concurrently (a) that a social media company that a hundred million Americans use that is heavily influenced by a hostile foreign government is a bad thing and (b) that I absolutely love TikTok and will hugely miss it.
Again, though, these are arguments for decentralized social media products. If TikTok ran on the protocols that lie behind Mastodon or BlueSky, then a foreign-owned potentially problematic app could be shut down without everyone’s creativity and work disappearing. You could use another app.
The big lesson here is that centralization and very large platform power is the problem, as can be seen in the US right now with Elon’s takeover of Twitter, TikTok’s shutdown and Zuckerberg’s lurch to the right.
Monopolistic platforms are the problem. Open protocols and decentralized clients are the answer. Not an uncomplicated answer. Not necessarily an easy answer. But in this respect and many more the only serious answer.
Tina H@tomcoates Aka IRC.
I completely agree.