Timing is “everything” in some circles. Mankind has spent the majority its existence simply trying to contain it, control it and of course reshape it. The advent of social media has brought us closer to reaching some of these lofty goals for sure. I mean a simple quick scroll through any one of our handheld devices will almost certainly leave you in a state of suspended animation with disbelief being at the forefront. The absurdity of arguing over things real AND perceived is growing day by day. For every heart string tugging cat video there are seventeen brutal unflinching glimpses of humanity at its most depraved. The outrage, and the faux outrage that ensues continues to fan the flames of discourse. For every http://www.change.org there are countless private pages promoting the antithesis of love and compassion. The pros and cons of social media could take us down a long and winding path that would only serve to pardon the phrase: “beat a dead horse”.
The control and more importantly manipulation of social media has brought us to the inevitable sale of #tiktok . Tik Tok, is one of those classic tales of an app that was created & grew beyond anyone’s expectations. It’s a #devs dream come true on steroids! Once the merger with musical.ly happened in 2018 the app became the most downloaded app in the USA. Addiction & content concerns aside this app has managed to enthrall users the world over. But with all happy stories there are underlying factors that cant be ignored…Security being the driving factor in its inevitable sale? Sooo in the event tiktokkers go away like a sixty-nine Cadillac allow me to say kudos to ole Addy Rae, Dixie D’Amelio, and Josh Richards for not only entertaining millions of fans but ALSO landing on one of those fancy #Forbes lists: https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/08/06/tiktoks-highest-earning-stars-teen-queens-addison-rae-and-charli-damelio-rule/#1aa78ca05087
you know the ones that make you scratch your head & wonder how exactly did this happen? The Chinese have given us many many things over the years, #dumplings #jetli not too mention the $737.1 billion in trade we did with them waaay back in 2018. I would argue that tiktokers are right up there with the aforementioned. Never underestimate the VALUE of entertainment! Afterall it was only a short time ago when Pro sports participants found themselves much like the Hollywood Elite: all sitting at home instead of ensuring we would be screaming at the top of our lungs for more, more, MORE! Tik Tok managed to tap into a visceral nerve…some have said it’s precursor #vine did not die in vain as a result.
Full Disclosure: I did download the tik tok app sometime ago yet never bothered to create any content myself & barely bothered to watch what was made available to me. But thanks to the plethora of other apps available I have witnessed plenty of tiktokers dancing their way through their day. I’ve no problem with ole Billy Gates buying TikTok in order for it to stay (safely?) in the good ole USA. Because this is only the beginning. the internet is filled with companies mining your data for fun AND profit! The ones with underlying nefarious tendencies are going to start springing up faster than a mask on your grandma at a open air flea market. Govt has yet to keep pace with technology, & 17 yr old high school boys are hijacking twitter for bragging rights! Smart phones, smart doorbells, and the NSA have got your number rest assured! But keeping you and your data safe will take more than one firesale. So ban em’ sell em’ just dont forget em’ because like it or not they are here to stay.
Santangelo Says 