Left or right, the TikTok ban is wrong
Inside: 'Lame' Travis Kelce goes viral; Emma Watson + Prince William; 3 ways to be a successful political influencer
The Older Millennial slams D.C.
What do Ukraine, Israel, and TikTok have in common? Well, in American politics, they can all share space on the same bill. As everyone in the world now knows, U.S. politicians slipped a sneaky Buy-or-Die-TikTok ultimatum (aka “The TikTok Ban”) into a bill, and President Joe Biden quickly signed the bill into law. The outrage on the left and the right has created an amazing sense of camaraderie in an otherwise disjointed (and increasingly dystopian) U.S. society.
One political voice of reason to emerge on TikTok is The Older Millennial, a self-described classical liberal who spends his time exposing the dirty deeds of politicians and wayward influencers while pushing Americans to wake up and get involved in politics. His post on the TikTok ban is jarring. Long story short: A GOP lawmaker wrote the bill banning TikTok, and he then invested more than $1 million in its biggest competitor, Meta. Tell me again why lawmakers are allowed to trade stocks while making economic decisions about the future of the U.S.
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Before you turn this into a Republican v. Democrat issue, take a look at the votes. As noted by Newsweek, at least nine senators who voted for the ban have active TikTok accounts—all of whom are Democrats. When murmurs of a ban first popped up, I was willing to listen. After all, I reasoned, China doesn’t play fair—why should we?
The more you read about the ban, however, the more you realize this has nothing to do with protecting the interests of the American people. Disclosure is in the interest of the American people. Transparency is in the interest of the American people. Stapling a social media ban onto a $95 billion foreign aid package is neither of those things.
TikTok is a place of great discourse. It is on both sides. All sides. And, it has united people toward the cause of holding career politicians—the vast majority of whom walk out millionaires—accountable. That, my friends, is why the TikTok ban passed. Remember: Meta is no data saint.
Social media updates.
National Review points out a head-scratcher. President Joe Biden signed the TikTok ban into law but will remain active on the platform as he seeks reelection. Tell me you’re a politician without telling me you’re a politician.
Travis Kelce called “lame” over beer-sipping. This clip of Travis Kelce slowly drinking beer at Patrick Mahomes’ charity event over the weekend is going viral. Most beer does taste gross, so …
Emma Watson + Prince William = <3. As proof that old media never dies, a 2001 Emma Watson interview is making the rounds on social media. In the clip, then 11-year-old Watson admits to having a crush on the royal. Glad nobody recorded me talking about my old crushes. Yikes.
Duets let people play nasty and nice.
The Duet feature is one of the greatest attributes of TikTok. Some users embrace Duets to cannibalize fellow users, e.g. classical liberal “Older Millennial” regularly roasts “woke” leftist Harry Sisson (those are OM’s descriptions). Other times, it’s reaction videos such as this one from The Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro:
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What this means for you.
So, you’ve decided to join the social media politics bandwagon. Here are three pieces of advice.
Develop a thick skin. Then develop a second layer. It’s rough and tough, and people are not kind. Get ready.
Find your platform. By this, I mean your voice. What do you stand for? Don’t mince words. The best method for gaining political or movement-based followership is stance-taking.
Have proof for everything. It’s not good enough to make claims. Internet sleuths will destroy you in 30 seconds or less. Job growth in Q1 was amazing? Show the chart. Those figures present a false narrative? Prove it.
Next week, we’ll chat about generation wars on social media. In the meantime, please give this post a like and a share. I’d appreciate your help getting the word out!