Social TikTok is a Cyberweapon

[Ruprecht]

A lot of people get their news from TikTok.

Not any adults I've ever come across. I'm not American though. Be interesting to see those gender and age breakdowns per nation, because I guess it's always possible that my social, work and family circles exclude adult tiktokers for some reason (my siblings banned my nieces and nephews from it for that matter, and that's also their school policy/guidelines).

 

[Hog-train]

Not any adults I've ever come across. I'm not American though. Be interesting to see those gender and age breakdowns per nation, because I guess it's always possible that my social, work and family circles exclude adult tiktokers for some reason.

150 million Americans use it.

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

I've been a long time social media skeptic. Someone has taken the time to write a book about detrimental effects, below is a pdf viewable online (no download needed) of some of the metrics being observed.

Pages 2 to 4 would be the pages to look at for the TL/DR crowd, but there is other interesting stuff in there.

Mental illness and self-harm hospital visits have been skyrocketing. Bullying, toxic femininity (bullying and harassing online circles to ostracize people they don't like) is particularly damaging to women as is their preference for visual social media apps i.e. Instagram. Part of the hypothesis is online children are under protected, and offline over protected.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/o6e8cqq8kv0k/6L4QN8LaCTebT4VhzzVWvM/22dd378286e98a0a8bb9d9ff65c0eebf/Anxious_Generation_Figures.pdf

I'm definitely not a luddite, but I think people need to be better aware of the potential harm of SM in particular, and realize if used improperly (which seems quite common) on balance having a smartphone could be doing a lot of people more harm than good. And yeah, the fact that a adversary like China is all too happy to dump into the algos all the people exhibiting basic bitch behavior and having basic bitch online influencer role models is a pretty telling thing.

 

[I Am Legion]

I will just take it from a common sense, 30,000 foot view...no CT stuff. Just my observation is that it indeed does turn people into phone zombies and that much screen time can't be good. I also notice it seems to justify whore culture in younger and younger women. Feels like grooming. There is political bias for sure. It comes down to being a parent and not letting your kid suck on the tik tok tit.

 

[Ruprecht]

150 million Americans use it.

Yeah but even globally it's supposedly 66% of under 20s using it, 70% of their adult users are 18-34 and then that percentage rapidly trails off. 8% of their users are 45-54, and even that seems way too high to me. Could just be national though.

Edit: Statistica from 2 years ago says of Australian tiktok users, 22% were females aged 13-17 and 8% were males in the same age range. That certainly is closer to my experience. I actually expected a higher percentage of the user base to be under 18s rather than in the 18-34 range. Although admittedly I'm old enough to think everyone under 30 (and a fair few over) seems to act like children.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

There's a difference between maybe getting something from a secure data center breach, or hacking the accounts of a handfull of people who didn't have 2FA and having an entire generation hand you unfettered access to all of their private communications, device storage, access to other apps, camera access, microphone access. Someone may break into my house, but I don't leave the door open all night because that's a possibility.

I'm not particularly comfortable with the idea that some senator's kid could be carrying a live mic and camera home that's directly plugged into the chinese government.

It's crazy that we've allowed this to go as far as it has and it's crazier still to pretend that it's easier to allow this to continue than just structure a sale to a non-government entity.

All the things you say can be done with gaining access to Facebook, Instagram, etc. There's a reason you can't bring your phone anywhere it matters. All the big 3, us,China, Russia, can gain access to any phone on the planet, and also to the wide ranging internet of things. Thinking it's only tiktok is naive. Only solution is banning all social media and seriously restricting software backdoors, which NOBODY wants to do.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

What is the difference between Instagram Reels and Tik Tok? Don't they do essentially the same thing?

An actual question as I don't use either and don't know.

So its not the user behavior that they have concerns with (since both essentially do the same thing).. it is just the content, seeing as how Tik Tok is run by the Chinese government?

They are the same, lots of videos get posted on both media. It's just the algorithm that is a bit different. TikTok shows a lot more Palestinian stuff, but you can search for that on Instagram. You can search for Taiwan independence or Tiannamen square on Tiktok.
It's a huge win for Meta as people will flock to Instagram.

 

[mjfan23]

Google and meta are even bigger security threats and they censor shit to suit foreign powers all the time. It’s basically how information flow and control occurs on the net!

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

Yeah but even globally it's supposedly 66% of under 20s using it, 70% of their adult users are 18-34 and then that percentage rapidly trails off. 8% of their users are 45-54, and even that seems way too high to me. Could just be national though.

Edit: Statistica from 2 years ago says of Australian tiktok users, 22% were females aged 13-17 and 8% were males in the same age range. That certainly is closer to my experience. I actually expected a higher percentage of the user base to be under 18s rather than in the 18-34 range. Although admittedly I'm old enough to think everyone under 30 (and a fair few over) seems to act like children.

There might also be considerable weakness in the metrics. I don't really have the patience to dig deep, but i wouldn't be surprised if parents create accounts as a way to easily monitor their kids activity etc and I don't know if that shows up in the stats or if there is a hurdle to being a "user". I don't use tiktok, but it's also possible some folks just use it as a messenger service if there is one, I know I don't use Facebook itself in any material way but do use the messaging feature on my phone. I also have some other SM accounts, but largely just to reserve my name lol, so I don't have impersonators or if I ever did use it having some silly name.

Then the other thing would be how many people have multiple accounts, and how they are accounted for. I know some crazy people that create alternate SM account(s?) to creep on other people. Apologize if the R word is offensive, but I think this is largely right, though TikTok should be added to the FB.

 

[NoSmilez]

A lot of people get their news from TikTok. 150 million in the US alone use it.



Click the links in Tiktok. And also look at the comments.

Isn't that just user generated content?
Look at this hash tag. They use the word massacre. I don't think there is any censorship? Did they just allow it recently or something?
Honestly I can't go through all the comments. It's just people shit posting.

Tiananmen Square | TikTok

12.9M posts. Discover videos related to Tiananmen Square on TikTok. See more videos about Tiananmen Square 1989, Mao Zedong, TikTok Ceo Vs Congress, Suzhou China, Hong Kong, China.

www.tiktok.com

 

[HomeCheese]

I have had conversations with old HS and college friends who use TikTok and they are mostly really against the forced sale of TikTok out of Chinese hands. It's insane how much they've been brainwashed by the app.

I searched Tiananmen Square and Uyghur Muslims on TikTok and saw posts defending it only The comments section is even more hilarious - blaming it on the US.

It is 100% a security threat and I don't understand how normally not stupid people can't see that?

Second point - The TikTok CEO went in front of Congress and said China or the CCP doesn't affect TikTok USA content. Then WHY TF is Taiwan Independence content censored? I thought TikTok USA was independent of China? OBVIOUS LIE.

Seems like it's similar to a lot of other apps only difference is that this one is controlled by the Chinese. The argument should be about how our information is obtained through these apps and how it is being used.

Certainly there is much more going on with these apps than meets the eye.

 

[MeatheadMike]

There might also be considerable weakness in the metrics. I don't really have the patience to dig deep, but i wouldn't be surprised if parents create accounts as a way to easily monitor their kids activity etc and I don't know if that shows up in the stats or if there is a hurdle to being a "user". I don't use tiktok, but it's also possible some folks just use it as a messenger service if there is one, I know I don't use Facebook itself in any material way but do use the messaging feature on my phone. I also have some other SM accounts, but largely just to reserve my name lol, so I don't have impersonators or if I ever did use it having some silly name.

Then the other thing would be how many people have multiple accounts, and how they are accounted for. I know some crazy people that create alternate SM account(s?) to creep on other people. Apologize if the R word is offensive, but I think this is largely right, though TikTok should be added to the FB.

TikTok would be teenagers acting like retards. But where would Sherdog WR fit into the mix?
Probably Meatheads acting like smart people

 

[William Huggins]

Disregard the China bots on various platforms that are defending Tik Tok. Tik Tok is a CCP tool used to brainwash the impressionable youth of Western nations.

Very true, but it's not just brainwashing them, it's doing so many other things on top........ If people can't see that this is part of a global effort to eventually enslave us all and eventually leads to us living in boxes and having every part of our lives controlled..... We are fucked......

 

[Ruprecht]

There might also be considerable weakness in the metrics. I don't really have the patience to dig deep, but i wouldn't be surprised if parents create accounts as a way to easily monitor their kids activity etc and I don't know if that shows up in the stats or if there is a hurdle to being a "user". I don't use tiktok, but it's also possible some folks just use it as a messenger service if there is one, I know I don't use Facebook itself in any material way but do use the messaging feature on my phone. I also have some other SM accounts, but largely just to reserve my name lol, so I don't have impersonators or if I ever did use it having some silly name.

Then the other thing would be how many people have multiple accounts, and how they are accounted for. I know some crazy people that create alternate SM account(s?) to creep on other people. Apologize if the R word is offensive, but I think this is largely right, though TikTok should be added to the FB.

I used Facebook to keep up with friends and relatives overseas (it was more reliable and easier for sharing photos than group email for communication, given the internet services in PNG and elsewhere), but now that most of them are back in Oz I haven't used it in years.
Never used any of the other social media (unless you count forums like this or discord) and never owned a personal mobile phone.
I find short video and messaging obnoxious and useless. Never occurred to me anyone would use it as a news source.
It just doesn't rate as worthwhile communication, it's not even tabloid trash. It's more akin to meme's or graffiti in a public toilet stall.
If I have limited interest or time I'd rather skim or skip through something for information than get someone else's predigested, simplified, dumbed down, short attention span version. Especially when the medium encourages sensationalism and titillation to grab attention. I can't understand why anyone would choose to watch any of that.
I'm quite certain that no adults in my family, social or work circles use TikTok, and the only people I've heard discuss the content offline are a couple of my nieces aged 10 and 6 (though they are both banned from using it at home or school, so presumably they watch some with friends).

 

[Rational Poster]

150 million Americans use it.

This is also probably bullshit. Every user metric is bullshit, it's all bots on every platform.

Reality is probably less than half are genuine unique human users. The companies are incentivized by advertisers to inflate these metrics so they don't care.

 

[Hog-train]

All the things you say can be done with gaining access to Facebook, Instagram, etc. There's a reason you can't bring your phone anywhere it matters. All the big 3, us,China, Russia, can gain access to any phone on the planet, and also to the wide ranging internet of things. Thinking it's only tiktok is naive. Only solution is banning all social media and seriously restricting software backdoors, which NOBODY wants to do.

Google and meta are even bigger security threats and they censor shit to suit foreign powers all the time. It’s basically how information flow and control occurs on the net!

Seems like it's similar to a lot of other apps only difference is that this one is controlled by the Chinese. The argument should be about how our information is obtained through these apps and how it is being used.

Certainly there is much more going on with these apps than meets the eye.

The difference is that TikTok is 100% controlled by the CCP.

The other social media apps can also have propaganda, but these are still private corporations. They are not 100% controlled by a singular government. Prime example would be Russia meddling in our elections via Facebook. And their executives can actually resist government intrusions into privacy - prime example would be when Tim Cook resisted the US government's request to put a backdoor into the Iphone's encryption.

And the executives of FB or IG or whatever can be subpoenaed and charged for breaking laws. Good luck getting some Bytedance executive.

Isn't that just user generated content?
Look at this hash tag. They use the word massacre. I don't think there is any censorship? Did they just allow it recently or something?
Honestly I can't go through all the comments. It's just people shit posting.

Tiananmen Square | TikTok

12.9M posts. Discover videos related to Tiananmen Square on TikTok. See more videos about Tiananmen Square 1989, Mao Zedong, TikTok Ceo Vs Congress, Suzhou China, Hong Kong, China.

www.tiktok.com

That's how propaganda on these platforms work. Only user generated content that agrees with their views are shown. Even comments that go against the narrative are censored. People who post, let's say pro Taiwan content, are banned.

This is also probably bullshit. Every user metric is bullshit, it's all bots on every platform.

Reality is probably less than half are genuine unique human users. The companies are incentivized by advertisers to inflate these metrics so they don't care.

Regardless, it is a very large, rapidly growing and influential social media platform.

 

[badascan]

"Run away train never coming back, run away on a one way track is something I came up with and always say" - Ken Florini...

 

[PBAC]

I have had conversations with old HS and college friends who use TikTok and they are mostly really against the forced sale of TikTok out of Chinese hands. It's insane how much they've been brainwashed by the app.

I searched Tiananmen Square and Uyghur Muslims on TikTok and saw posts defending it only The comments section is even more hilarious - blaming it on the US.

It is 100% a security threat and I don't understand how normally not stupid people can't see that?

Second point - The TikTok CEO went in front of Congress and said China or the CCP doesn't affect TikTok USA content. Then WHY TF is Taiwan Independence content censored? I thought TikTok USA was independent of China? OBVIOUS LIE.

yeah people are really missing the point of what it is. It is essentially an anti western echo chamber with some highly questionable comment sections, largely bent on conditioning gen Z to hate the west.

insert footage of any scumbag dictator = tiktok comments ''great leader'' or ''this is what we need''

 

[blaseblase]

I did a search on TikTok for Tiananmen Square and I saw posts defending it. The comments section must be botted or fake because all I see are people defending it or blaming the US.

Just did a Google search for pro- Puerto Rico independence content and see plenty of examples.

Laughable that you're comparing the two.

Search for Tiananmen Square or Taiwan independence on Tiktok and see for yourself.

YouTube comments are also heavily censored.

 

[Fluffernutter]

If tiktok gets banned it is not because it brainwashes children etc
It's because of lobbying by American social media companies. Stop watching tiktok and go to instagram reels, snap chat, YouTube shorts etc
And because Tiktok doesn't censor anti-Israel stuff.
That guy you posted is a massive shill for Israel, he even wears a star of David despite being a "Christian"

This was the argument a couple of weeks ago.

That many videos on TikTok are very skeptical of what the western media was stating regarding Israel/Gaza. It was anti-IDF propaganda. Therefore, Congress was targeting TikTok.