On Balance | US TikTok hysteria pushes key questions about the app to the margins

In a country where 61 per cent of those in the millennial and Generation Z demographics said they trust social media influencers, it’s not surprising that TikTok has become a symbol for many of the concerns about China within the United States.

Not since Daryl Morey, then general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, posted on social media in support of Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters in 2019 has such a wide cross-section of the American public been drawn from vague awareness about China into a specific debate.

We can be assured that many more young Americans are up to speed on algorithms, cross-border data flows, Oracle and “Project Texas” than before the US House of Representatives passed the bill that would shut TikTok out of the American market without a not-going-to-happen divestiture by its Chinese parent ByteDance.

As we wait to see whether the Senate will do the same, we’re treated to the full spectrum of hypocrisy that the “China threat” induces in American politicians.

Knowing how much ammunition a TikTok account would give Republicans, Biden’s team initially worked with Democrat-friendly, young influencers to push the president’s message on the platform rather than engaging on it directly. But with polls showing Biden’s advanced age to be a serious liability among voters, the campaign let loose with a TikTok campaign to connect more directly to a younger demographic.