Go make some videos about Taiwan, Tiananmen, or Tibet and see what the algo does to you.

> The funny thing is there's not really that much propaganda on TikTok

I recommend that you sit down in front of your computer with your beverage of choice and do a deep dive into psyops.

To address your comment, there are psyops actors in every significant (and some less significant) social media platform, even our own Hacker News. Whether you want to call their work “propaganda” or something else is mostly semantics — they are operating with an agenda, sometimes/often one that conflicts with the will and/or best interest of our nation (in my case, the US).

Indeed, we are so awash in propaganda it's often difficult to recognize it as such.

"What's water?"

We've had a lot of fun watching people make "I'm being gangstalked" videos over the last couple years. YT, not TikTok.

Fair enough... I consider that all propaganda. Anyone acting with an agenda, especially when they're trying to persuade without openly disclosing their agenda. Even more so, there's plenty of people who post stuff (like the fringe violence or whatever) who aren't necessarily psyops, but then the algo can promote it in a way that influences people. And I know this can all be done gradually and subtly.

But you should do a deep dive on tiktok if you aren't already on it! It's almost all fun/bizarre/educational videos. When you have so many people (lawmakers) critiquing it who don't use it regularly, it all just comes across as McCarthyism.

(edited to remove a sentence I started and didn't finish)

It doesnt have to be pro CCP. All they have to do is slightly boost anti US or anti Israel or anti Ukraine and it is the same thing. Slowly boiling the frog by boosting fringe voices and promoting them as common views.

Yes and for this reason I support a similar ban in my country of large scale American owned social media. Given they are all guilty of the above claims.

What the American owned social networks have done to my countries populace, including its youth, is nothing short of a disaster. It’s induced complete brain rot.

We should ban it here too but they have too much money for that to happen unfortunately.

Promoting fringe voices is perfectly legitimate, both in terms of politics and free speech. That is literally how all social progress comes about. It's also how we elected our previous President. Like it or not, those are the rules of the game.

I take issue only with your use of the word 'progress'. 'Change' certainly.

Change in the firmament of free ideas and free association, surely that's better than the alternative

We absolutely do not have to allow our geopolitical enemies to do it on our soil to our citizens.

It doesn't even have to be anti-US, all it needs to do is make the factions inside the US fight each other even more. Push two sides that are both "pro-US". That is, after all, also how CIA overthrows governments...

This kind of argument can be used to censor anything deemed controversial.

Lots of people in the US are anti-Israel and anti-Ukraine spending. Many are also against the current US government's actions.

Are they "pro-CCP"? Honestly, you think anyone who disagrees with the regime are tankies?