TikTok in front of the flag of the United States. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by … [+]
Time is getting short for TikTok. The Chinese social media app may be shut down on January 19, and this has sent people online into a frenzy. Some are turning to alternative apps, such as RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), while others are trying to prepare for life after the platform is banned.
But there’s another group of people on social media doing something else entirely: cracking jokes and making memes about the TikTok ban.
In many ways, this is the internet at its best. Here, people are using humor and the connection social media affords to support one another, showing how the online world can help people through tough times.
Before we arrive at that destination though, let’s find out exactly what’s happening with the TikTok ban.
Why Is TikTok Being Banned?
In broad strokes, TikTok is facing a US ban because the government is concerned about user privacy and national security.
If ByteDance—TikTok’s owner—agreed to sell its US arm of the platform, it could continue. Yet, at the time of writing, the Chinese company stated it won’t take this route.
The deadline for the TikTok sale is January 19, so, if nothing happens by that date, the app will be banned within the United States.
While it’s currently unclear how this will happen in reality, there are several theories circulating, including the app continuing to work with a notification or it being blocked entirely.
How Has The Internet Reacted To The TikTok Ban?
Some online have complained about the TikTok ban, but huge numbers of people have taken to a range of social media platforms to make memes and post jokes about the news.
These come in a variety of formats. One popular template decries the loss of the niche content that dominates the platform:
Many others are making memes about moving to RedNote:
While another common theme of jokes revolve around embracing Chinese culture if the TikTok ban does pass:
Finally, another type of post about the TikTok Ban is the old-school, text-based quip:
Why Is The Internet Reacting To The TikTok Ban With Humor?
There’s one key explanation for why social media is creating a deluge of memes about the TikTok ban: a coping mechanism.
For most people, there’s little to no hard evidence about what TikTok is doing that differs from, say, Facebook, Instagram, or other social platforms. Yet those sites aren’t being punished, so there’s a sense of unfairness about the ban.
Then, you have the vast influence of the platform. As of July 2024, TikTok is estimated to have around 120 million users in the United States alone. This is especially impressive considering the amount of time people use the app for.
Reliable and precise figures are hard to find, but a Belgian report from Digimeter about the digital lives of Flanders residents found that, on average, young people spend 80 minutes a day on the app. This is likely to be similar across other Western nations.
In summary, young people are spending a raft of time on TikTok, making any ban impactful on their day-to-day lives.
Human nature dictates that people are adverse to change, often finding the loss of something particularly difficult. Whether subconsciously or not, an enforced lifestyle change—such as TikTok being banned—could be stressful to many people. Here, something you use regularly for large swathes of time might suddenly disappear.
In these circumstances, the internet and social media is a respite.
Studies show that humor is a coping mechanism that can “reduce the burden of perceived stress and increase positive emotional states when dealing with stressful situations”—and this is precisely what we’re seeing in response to the TikTok ban.
People are worried about a potential change, and they’re using humor and memes to deal with that.
Effectively, when it comes to the TikTok ban, many people are using the internet in a positive way. Yes, many of the jokes have a dark edge, but that’s simply the nature of humor—it’s what’s behind this behavior that’s fascinating.
Ahead of what could be a stressful change, people are using the internet to group together. It’s a coping mechanism. Rather than being divided, social media is operating like a comfort blanket, a way to connect via the medium of memes, reduce stress, and find solace. And there’s something beautiful in that.