Why the TikTok takeover saga exposes a deeper problem no one wants to talk about (My Disjointed view)

in Economics5 days ago (edited)

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Let me be honest with you…

Everyone is talking about TikTok like it’s the villain of the decade, but the more I watch this whole story unfold, the more I realize the real drama isn’t even about TikTok anymore.

The US and China have turned a social media app into a battlefield, and the craziest part? The people who actually use the app, the “grass” are the ones caught in the middle.

Let me break it down for you in the simplest way.

A Tech App Became a Political Trophy

Tell me why a dancing-app-turned-shopping-mall has become the measuring stick for global dominance?

It’s almost funny. America claims the app is a “security threat.” China doesn’t want to “lose face.”

Politicians are using TikTok like a campaign prop. And somewhere inside that storm is a bunch of Gen Z kids who just want to watch cooking videos and football edits.

If TikTok was truly dangerous, why are US investors suddenly fighting to own it?
If it wasn’t dangerous, why did China fight so hard to keep it?

Make it make sense.

The Real Issue: America Doesn’t Trust Its Own People

Here’s the controversial part no one wants to say out loud:

This whole TikTok ban/forced sale drama isn’t about China spying…

It’s about America losing control.

For the first time ever, a foreign entertainment platform had more influence on young Americans than traditional US media.
That’s the real threat.

TikTok wasn’t just showing dances it was shaping culture, politics, trends, opinions, elections, and even economic habits through TikTok Shop. And the US government simply didn’t like how little control they had over the narrative.

So instead of competing…
They forced a transfer of power.

China Played the Long Game

China’s reaction wasn’t just about “protecting tech.”

“You can take the app, but you can’t take the technology that built it.”

Whether ByteDance loses TikTok US or not, the algorithm is the real gold, and stays Chinese. And that was China’s only true objective.

TikTok US without the original algorithm is like buying a Ferrari and removing the engine.
Looks shiny, but drives like a wheelbarrow.

The Internet Is No Longer Global It’s Tribal

This TikTok saga just confirmed what many of us have been seeing quietly:

The global internet is dying.

Every country wants its own social media, its own rules, its own platforms.
The “open internet” dream is gone.

We’re entering an era where the US internet will be American, the Chinese internet will be Chinese, and Europe… well, .....