The TikTok ban
TikTok was banned in the US The Congress and the previous president banned TikTok in the US with effect on January 19th unless its owner, Chinese ByteDance, sells the app to a non-Chinese company. The current president gave it a few more weeks, but it’s still an ongoing issue.
The reason for the ban is homeland security: Chinese entities can use TikTok usage data and content to gain access to private data on US citizens, as well as use personal content for blackmailing and influencing the public perspective. They do have a point about security, but should we also ban Facebook, Instagram, Google and others for their possible control of Europeans? We need to fight for our technological independence.
Public Health
However, I would agree with the ban if the reason was Public Health. I see the effect TikTok and other short-form media (Reels and Shorts) taking over media consumption, even in my age group. This results in people (even more pronounced in children) having less patience and unable to concentrate for a long time without some form of stimuli.
I don’t mean to sound like an old man, but this is becoming an issue of Public Health. And if you don’t want your government to shut down “addictive apps”, we must self-regulate its use first.
Shoes
A few decades ago, people used to walk bare naked. If you were a little better off, you’d maybe wear them to church, but not on a daily basis. In 1928, Portugal forbid walking barefoot in its two main cities. The cost of shoes, even for poor people, would be nothing compared to the cost of losing a foot or a leg from an untreated infection.
Think of the case, which is quite common, of a humble head of a family who injured his foot with a piece of glass, a stone, a tack, or in some other way, and who, as a result, contracted an infection that resulted in his death. Evaluate how that family will live, whose only support has disappeared thanks to lack of foresight, which is the result of a bad habit. (Government ad to promote the use of shoes, translated from an old style of Portuguese)
More recently, the Covid curfews implemented in many countries were a similar measure: taking away people’s freedom allowed the health of the population to improve. And these are not democratic decisions. They are mostly based on a technical analysis.
Now, there are technical reports that TikTok is affecting Public Health. It is the first time the new generation has more difficulties learning than the previous one. Mental health is at its worst and we need to act upon it.
Conclusion
I don’t have TikTok installed. I don’t watch reels or shorts. I try to watch and read long-form content. I teach my students that you need a larger-than-average attention span as a programmer. You should train it. And we should encourage the next generation to appreciate long-form.