We’re all thrilled TikTok is back but many content creators and consumers alike wish it were back like it never left. While the 14-hour blip was a much shorter TikTok ban than the nation may have feared, the app’s return came with some noticeable changes. TikTok’s content creators who use the app as their main platform were struggling with the concept of a potential prolonged ban but are now calling out the new changes in the app’s algorithm, some of which are now unpredictable, where they used to be more streamlined.
Some TikTok aficionados are expressing that they now see video content with which they’ve never interacted before, where it was widespread knowledge that the algorithm would generate in response to one’s engagement within the app, prior to the ban. Additionally, several celebrities are calling out the newfound censorship evident in the app, which is a cause for concern in an app that is a news source for many, especially younger generations.
Overall, TikTok users are noticing an increase in the app’s moderation, especially in the search function. Creators that this algorithm shift seems to flush out are grassroots media sources and both foreign and native activists, where they were not excluded before. Certain topics are also being filtered out such as countries’ names and various world leaders that were formerly searchable in the app but now have an annotated disclaimer where they did not before, marking them as sensitive content or noting that the topic may include misinformation.
Several influencers and public figures have posted screenshots of the new warnings that populate when they try to search news topics or names that they could once access seamlessly. These rumored censorships are becoming more and more apparent to TikTok users as these disclaimers are shared.
In a recent interview with Reuters, TikTok claimed that that they were expecting some temporary disruption to the app after resumption. Time will tell if these changes are permanent but in the meantime, these censorships and perceived acts of thought-controlling still pose a threat to one of our greatest media platforms.
TikTok users are commenting that they now see significantly fewer live streams and notice limited search results when they search for certain sensitive taglines, such as “Free Luigi.” Live streaming is such an important part of the firsthand media accounts that make TikTok unique and provide firsthand knowledge of current events and eyewitness news. Even Taylor Swift’s famous song The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived was briefly unsearchable on TikTok, where the word ‘man’ was either altered or autocorrected to ‘woman,’ which is not how the song goes, as most women in America can tell you.
there’s also a weird thing where “the smallest man who ever lived” doesn’t show up in the search bar and auto corrects to woman https://t.co/0FNyDMO6CE pic.twitter.com/07iMsTjF3v
— irene anna (@enerianna) January 20, 2025
In addition to being a platform for comedy, entertainment, and creation, TikTok has always been a space for education, and illustration of immediate news in action from many news sources as well as self-made reporters. If these censorships continue to pop up, it poses a threat to the integrity of the app as a news source. Even though TikTok influencers may include some that are satirical or subjective self-made reporters, TikTok remains a vital tool for many well-educated, experienced, and objective news sources that present their findings or record documentation of current events to educate others.
If these firsthand documentations are being squandered by changes in the algorithm then TikTok users might be prevented from witnessing videos that are important to their community or their health and safety. For example, in situations such as wildfires, these personal accounts can help illustrate the spread of wildfires and/or where to locate food, water, and shelter in times of natural disaster. TikTok users are being denied the whole truth if only certain viewpoints are shown and others are limited. This conformity presents a danger to individualism, freedom of speech, and the beautiful inherent qualities that make us all unique.
If this imbalance continues it would completely deconstruct the way that TikTok had functioned as a media source and recalibrate it in a manner that omits objectivity. It would signify a big shift in the app’s computation as a place of restriction and suppression rather than as an educational outlet. It could also disrupt networks that have created safe havens for people outside of the U.S., and that may depend on TikTok media as their sole news sources. Beyond that, the danger of selectivity incites conformity in our nation that would otherwise thrive on diversity and freedom of speech and thought. It might be good to take notice of the changes you perceive on the app.
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