Ceasing TikTok, Pausing Fire, Manufacturing Consent

I woke up this morning to news that the Supreme Court will uphold a law effectively banning TikTok. This is not a good thing¹, but the media are examining it virtually without criticism. In fact, many have written opinion pieces in support of the ban.² The law, with its vague claims of “national security,” has bipartisan support in the US, but the ACLU has declared the ban unconstitutional. So what’s really going on?

The largest social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat—all have one thing in common³. They are owned by US Big Tech companies and billionaires. And as anyone with half a brain knows, Big Tech and the state are in bed with each other.

This is why the government and the US tech industry hate TikTok. Not because of some made up national security threat, but because they can’t control the flow of information. Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Twitter, and Google played a large part in censoring and suppressing pro-Palestinian content amid Israel’s genocide, with Meta going so far as to internally tag anyone with a Palestinian flag in their name as a “terrorist.” TikTok had no such prerogative, and because of this, consent could not be manufactured for the US’ abhorrent policy of arming Israel.

So the US has tried to bully ByteDance (TikTok’s owner) into selling the platform to a US-based company that the state can influence.

I’m no fan of social media; I don’t even use TikTok. But there’s no denying the instrumental role that it played in bringing light to the reality of genocide in Palestine for millions of young Americans. Left-leaning content as a whole is somewhat more tolerated than its competitors.

This genocide by Israel has been devastating for Palestinians, but it is by no means anything new. A state founded upon ethnic cleansing and apartheid does not magically allow peace and prosperity. The only solution is the end of occupation, and that must be fought for by all of us. When the TikTok ban goes into effect, I worry how a movement for a free Palestine will continue its momentum.

Legacy media has failed us⁴, and their reporting on Palestine⁵⁶ is only one of many many examples. For this reason, people turn to independent media and social media, which is probably a net positive overall, but it also contributes to the spread of misinformation.

But social media isn’t going away, and its monopolization leads to unchecked biases and propaganda. With a TikTok ban in effect, content that goes against US corporate and governement interests will continue to be suppressed.

This manipulation is not an accident; it is the result of a media model that is not focused on educating the public but on profit. The enemy of capitalist imperialism is education, which is why the US has one of the worst education systems in the developed world.

So what can be done?

Well, I have two videos coming soon that will go deep into exactly this, but for now, as it relates to this topic, I will say that education and conversation are the best ways to combat propaganda. Below are some actionable ways to educate yourself, but it’s also vital to have real conversations in the real world with real people.

All social media—TikTok included—is profit motivated, at the end of the day. Its algorithms are there to drive engagement and watchtime. It doesn’t care about your mental health or social issues. It means we get filtered into circles of like-minded people, our opinions never challenged, and the only dissidence we see is content that enrages, so we find the “other side” stupid and offensive. The real world is not so cut and dry.

I would highly recommend Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent, which the short video below can introduce you to.

People have the capacity to see through the deceit in which they are ensnared, but they gotta make the effort.

Noam Chomsky

If you do explore this topic, I’d encourage you not to take his word for it. I’ve given examples in this post, but think about other stories and how consent is manufactured. Think about how we never hear about atrocities of US allies like Saudi Arabia, and of course US policies like its embargo on Cuba, which has been condemned by every country in the world except us and Israel. Think about how little you hear about labor movements and neocolonialism.

Independent or non-western media are vital. A few sources I like are The Intercept, Truthout, Democracy Now, Jacobin Magazine, Al Jazeera⁷, Common Dreams, and Znet. Hasan Piker on YouTube or Twitch is good (and more accessible) and the Podcasts The Dig, Blowback & Acid Horizon.

And don’t keep this knowledge to yourself. Our conditioning is so deep that people are resistant to ideas like this; it has taken several years for me to unlearn it, and convincing others is a Sisyphian task. But the system is unsustainable, and more people are realizing this every day.

My upcoming videos will talk more about these, as well as collective action and solidarity, so I hope you’ll keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, watch this.

1. I wonder what Musk fanboys have to say about this violation of free speech.

2. This opinion piece is an embarassment to journalism. It is really just fear mongering.

3. Still Manufacturing Consent: An Interview With Noam Chomsky

4. Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low

5. Bias hiding in plain sight: Decades of analyses suggest US media skews anti-Palestinian

6. Leaked NYT Gaza Memo Tells Journalists to Avoid Words “Genocide,” “Ethnic Cleansing,” and “Occupied Territory”

7. though keep in mind they’re owned by the Qatar government so are unlikely to criticize Qatar.