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this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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The news tends to drive things like this, so I don't know how many people are really "flocking" to this Chinese application. This is also so artificial. Forces are driving this and people don't seem to notice.
Regardless of the number, I'm completely baffled. They don't even understand why the US government is doing this in the first place.
These folks are jumping off a sinking ship and grabbing steadfast to the first piece of flotsam that they found... which ironically suffers from the same exact problems that the ship did in the first place. It will inevitably suffer the same demise. It's crazy that those holding on don't seem to understand that.
If you want to keep TikToking or whatever it is people do on that platform, you should join the closest Western version, preferably owned by a multi-billionaire in the US. Their platforms will be protected no matter how much data is stolen and how much privacy is violated. The goal wasn't to stop the communist Chinese government, but ensure that Americans maintain a stranglehold over these vices so that they can benefit from them. People are being used and just don't care.
It sure would have been nice if more people join the fediverse in response to things like this, but alas... it's not quite mature enough yet. They can't look for something like Loops because it just isn't ready. They go to things like BlueSky, completely oblivious to the fact that it can't be what they really want. They don't even know what they want. They just follow the lemmings before them.
Someday this will change for the better. Maybe. Perhaps not.
I'll never personally understand short form video and influencers and everything else around that. But for others, it's a huge deal... at least that's what the media seem to be making it into.
I mean... perhaps this is unintentionally the begining of something good and they just don't realize it yet.
Good luck TickTockers. Even if the platform remains, you're still being taking advantage. The opportunity is now, and you're blowing it. Something completely entrenched has finally been disrupted. You could take advantage of something better, but you're choosing not to.
I think this shows a misunderstanding. A lot of the switch to Red Note is conscious of this. That’s why people deliberately chose to go to a Chinese app, knowing that the goal of the TikTok ban never had anything to do with its stated intentions. People on TikTok have been laughing at “Senator, I’m Singaporean” for months.
It’s a large enough movement that the app has added a translate feature and English/Spanish interfaces. It’s actually somewhat annoying to some of the Chinese folks there, and as someone who wants some language immersion, it’s hard to find comment sections without a lot of English conversation.
Everyone knows that US corps Hoover up as much data as they can get from us, so it’s hard to care about data getting to the Chinese government - it’s not like Meta would say no to selling them data. With Cambridge Analytica and the surveillance states building up in the south to make sure women don’t cross state lines for an abortion, the CCP knowing that I’m trans and have lots of gay sex is much less dangerous than my state government knowing that.
Admittedly, there is so much about this that I don't understand. I most definitely don't think that the solution is using billionaire owned data harvesters. I haven't used social media like this for over a decade because it's clear how we and our information is used and abused.
At the same time, I'm unfortunately all too acquainted with authoritarian states. For people to hand over their data to such a state--intentionally--is just mind boggling to me.
So, yes, you're right. I'm misunderstanding a lot. I am not able to wrap my head around how the content of TikTok and/or other billionaire owned media platforms are worth everything that one has to give up to use them. I actively avoided such companies and, as such, the allure of the content doesn't draw me in. Sure, there are things that I miss, but I don't see the exchange as worth it.
Perhaps for some, the move to RedNote is a protest against the arbitrary banning of a single app among a sea of so many others doing the same thing. Perhaps it's meant to expose the intent of the US and Western governments knowing they will inevitably fold (as the US currently seems to be doing), then the ends will just restore things to the way things were before... which is still terrible. Perhaps it's just addicts chasing their next fix. I'm sure there's lots of reasons driving it. From the outside though, it all seems crazed.
There is so very much about all of this that I will never understand. Well, I suppose I do understand enough about human nature to get it. It simply disturbs me. And all the while, the billionaire corps are going to do everything in their power to acquire and use people's data for their own gain. Governments will leverage it with ill intent. And people will willingly let them.
Both. It can be both. And the influence by the CCP is absolutely real.
I feel like this can be true, but if it is... they're dropping the ball in so many other places that genuinely matter.