From TikTok to Red Book: US's Chinese social media paradox

AT ITS CORE LIES A COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY, GEOPOLITICAL POWER AND MEDIA INFLUENCE

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: TikTok, commanding 170 million American users, faces its moment of truth this Sunday unless a deal materializes to sell it to a US investor or the Supreme Court intervenes. At its core lies a complex interaction between digital sovereignty, geopolitical power, and media influence. The developments are both unprecedented—the first time the US has attempted to shut down access to an app with such a vast base—and laced with irony: the looming shutdown has prompted Americans to flock to another Chinese app, one that wears its communist identity more openly in its very name.

When President Biden signed the law in early 2024, it reflected a rare moment of bipartisan unity in Washington's fractured political landscape. The specific concerns were that TikTok's owner ByteDance could be compelled under Chinese law to hand over American users' data to Beijing authorities; the Chinese government could potentially influence or manipulate the content Americans see through TikTok's algorithms; and the platform could be used to spread misinformation or propaganda.