- TikTok users are reacting to a potential US ban by creating memes.
- The US government has cited national security concerns, impacting TikTok’s future in America.
- Users, sad to lose the platform, are turning to humor to cope with the uncertainty.
It’s a week of mourning for TikTok users, and they’re using humor to make peace with the looming ban.
A slew of videos and photos have emerged as TikTokers make memes to say goodbye to the short-form video platform. A TikTok ban isn’t certain, but users will find out the app’s fate on Sunday — the deadline for its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to find a buyer in the US.
In true internet fashion, TikTokers are posting what could be their final jokes on the app. Some of them are hosting fake funerals for TikTok; others are bidding goodbye to their “Chinese spy,” a reference to the US’s concerns about whether it represents a threat to national security.
Meanwhile, others are blaming the US government, president-elect Donald Trump, and social networking billionaire Mark Zuckerberg for trying to take away TikTok. Zuckerberg could win big if “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, flocked to Meta’s Instagram to watch short-form reels.
Some, like TikToker Santina Rizzi, aren’t so sure Zuckerberg is “going to get” the top spot for short videos if a ban goes through. She said that users would go to YouTube instead.
“I’ll be touching grass before I return to anything Meta,” a top comment said.
Still, users are finding ways to laugh instead of panicking about the potential shutdown.
Some say they’re willing to move countries to have access to TikTok, and others say they’re willing to learn Chinese to use a rising platform called Xiaohongshu. The China-based app shot to the top of the Apple App Store this week as people sought an alternative to Instagram reels or YouTube shorts.
While some have found substitute apps to fill the void, others have pondered turning a new leaf in their social media usage and trying to regain some of their time and energy.
“I think I’m just going to finally read a book,” one commenter said in response to a video from Sierra Boudreaux (@averagesisi).
“I’ll probably actually start getting my 10k steps in,” another added.
Over the years, TikTok has been the birthplace of iconic memes, phrases that have entered the cultural lexicon, or just a place for people to consume short-form content tailored to their interests.
Without TikTok, the world might know terms like “unalive,” “rizz,” or “demure” that have become commonplace after becoming popular on the platform.
But many users have also made peace with the potential dissolution of TikTok, and they’re trying to enjoy the time they have left with the app — however long that may be.
This isn’t the first time a beloved social media app has faced a big change. Twitter users mourned the platform as they knew it before it became X under Elon Musk’s ownership. Like TikTok, users laughed and despaired over the fate of their go-to platform.
TikTok’s future is yet to be determined, but the jokes are still flying in case this is the last week to do so.
And if all else fails, there’s always the library.
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