In America: The New Mainstream & The Migration You Never Saw Coming
While scrolling through your phone on January 19th, you might have noticed that access to TikTok suddenly disappeared before reappearing 12 hours later. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban on TikTok in the United States took effect last Sunday, marking a significant shift in the social media landscape and its influence on political discourse. This decision presents an opportunity to examine the strength and impact of social media in America's political arena, especially as platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) make significant policy changes.
Meta's Shift to the Right
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has recently repealed its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, ended third-party fact-checking, and loosened its content moderation policies. These changes align with the new administration of President Donald Trump, signaling a shift to the right on the American political spectrum.
Kat Tenbarge of NBC News highlighted the backlash from users, noting that "some users are fleeing the company’s platforms" due to these changes. The removal of DEI initiatives and the rollback of content moderation have sparked concerns about the safety and inclusivity of these platforms. Marie Valencia, a queer Chicana artist, expressed her discomfort, stating, "I no longer feel safe to post on either platform as a queer Chicana woman."
Despite these reactions, Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today argues that major controversies historically haven't led to mass user migrations. He points out that "Facebook has continued to add users every quarter, even though it’s already surpassed some 3 billion users." This resilience suggests that Meta's vast network and AI-driven content recommendations keep users engaged, even amid significant policy shifts.
Elon Musk's Influence on X and Beyond
Elon Musk's role in shaping political discourse extends beyond his control of X. As a key figure in President Trump's administration, Musk is involved in cabinet selection, government efficiency, and foreign policy. His influence on X is equally significant, with reports of him banning and removing verification from users who disagree with his stances.
The European Commission's investigation into X's compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA) underscores the platform's contentious role in content moderation. The Guardian reported that the EU is scrutinizing X's algorithms for potentially giving far-right posts greater visibility. Henna Virkkunen, the EU digital commissioner, emphasized the importance of ensuring that platforms "respect our legislation, which aims to make the online environment fair, safe and democratic for all European citizens."
The EU's push for more regulation to keep social media content and algorithms in check should serve as an example of remedying some of the harm done by these companies. However, with companies like X and Meta taking a rightward step, they effectively have distanced themselves from the idea of regulation.
The Role of Social Media in Political Discourse
All this discourse and rhetoric points to one central concept - the stark difference between what we perceive as "mainstream" media and the reality that social media has become the new mainstream. Traditional media, or legacy media, is now an establishment of yesteryear. In contrast, social media platforms are where most people consume news and engage in political discourse. This means that social media platforms and the companies that own them must be treated like the establishment media, with regulatory bodies to oversee their work, and protect users from an array of bad content - be that hate speech or trauma-inducing gore.
Data from Pew Research highlights that while the majority of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok users do not primarily use these platforms for news, they still encounter news content, be those opinions- or memes. X stands out, with most users citing news as a major reason for their engagement.
Source – Pew Research CenterHowever, the prevalence of inaccurate news remains a concern across all platforms, with X and Facebook users being the most likely to report seeing inaccurate news frequently. This raises the question: Is further loosening of fact-checking and moderation truly a good idea? Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, formerly nicknamed "Zuckershmuch" by President Trump, seems to think so.
This shift in news consumption patterns raises questions about the impact of less moderation and fact-checking. The Pew Research data reveals a partisan divide in perceptions of news accuracy, with Democrats being more skeptical of information on X and Republicans more skeptical of Facebook, which goes a long way in explaining Meta’s sudden embracing of the right. Facebook has the second largest right-wing user base; Musk’s X boasts the top spot. But, cozying up to legislators by distancing themselves from unfavorable policy platforms like DEI is bound to help make a case for their endorsement of the platforms in question.
President Trump's Stance on TikTok
President Trump's fluctuating stance on TikTok adds another layer to the complex relationship between social media and political discourse. From initially advocating for a ban to later signing the executive order to suspend the ban for 75 days while searching for a U.S. buyer, Trump's position reflects the broader uncertainties and strategic considerations surrounding social media regulation.
The ban on TikTok was a unifying issue for Republicans, especially during the emergency funding to keep the government from shutting down, which had its own tumultuous story of flip-flopping and interference from Elon Musk and social media at large.The Future of Social Media and Political Discourse
As we look ahead to 2025, the role of social media in shaping political discourse is more critical than ever. The loosening of privacy policies, fact-checking, and content moderation on major platforms like Meta and X raises important questions about the future of online discourse. With more people consuming news through social media than ever before, the need for responsible and transparent content management is paramount.
Roger Mosey, a former senior BBC editor, emphasized the importance of traditional media standing firm against the influence of social media. He argued that established media should not try to imitate social media but instead focus on providing reliable and balanced information. "We must resist attempts to create an intellectual monoculture,".
Platforms like Meta and X navigate their roles in this new mainstream and try to maintain the fragile balance between freedom of expression and responsible content management. But - they should be held responsible for when those rules are broken - not whisper into the ears of world leaders to make their problems go away, not when they are responsible for information and its consumption in 2025’s political discourse.
An Unlikely Migration
Following the Supreme Court's ruling, American users flocked to Xiaohongshu, or - Little Red Book in Mandarin. Curiously, American users have come to know of it as Red Note or Lemon8 [same app, two versions,] which is certainly not a political app. It features no political discussion or discourse. The closest comparison would be if Instagram met Pinterest and had TikTok-style mini-boxes with captions.
Suddenly, American users flooded the platform en-masse, causing the American version of the application to trend on all digital application stores across the internet. In what might be the most curious internet phenomenon ever, young Americans interacted with their Chinese counterparts for possibly the first time - niche game conventions and chats excluded. One of the most searched terms on the platforms was #tiktokrefugee - or digital asylum seekers.
Digital language learning application, Duolingo, saw a 216% spike in the number of users learning Mandarin, and interacting with the platform's mostly Chinese users. Chinese users on the other hand started posting memes and captions in English, in what might be one of the more wholesome things to happen on the internet following 2024, and a rocky start to 2025.