Jan 14, 2025
About TikTok - it looks like the US Government forgot about the Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism.
This theory is where most people in the world use online platforms for mainstream things such as looking at cat photos rather than doing/being informed on activism.
When access to cute cat photos (or other mainstream things) get interupted by a social media ban, those people who used social media casually would become more aware with activist ideas.
If TikTok was left alone, people would have stayed ignorant about RedNote.
More info on the theory by the author (Ethan Zuckerman) here.