I dont know that I would be making that claim about other platforms - there is something unique, pervasive and opaque about TikTok and how they try to drive engagement.

That's putting words in my mouth.

All social media with attention management may be weaponized and has generally proven to be unhealthy for society. TikTok happens to be actively worse for a number of reasons, one of them being that it is designed to be so.

If Biden wants instagram to show you pictures of ponies, the best he can do is go to congress and get funding to run an ad campaign on instagram to show people ponies.

If Xi wants to show you ponies, you'll see them all over tiktok tomorow.

That's not really true. https://reason.com/2023/07/28/biden-white-house-pressured-fa...

One exmaple of many. If Biden doesn't want you seeing something, the white house will put pressure on social media companies to censor it.

The difference is Meta was free to refuse, and did in some cases. False equivalence.

"We were under pressure from the administration and others to do more. We shouldn't have done it."

Also: The 5th Circuit panel found that the White House coerced the platforms through “intimidating messages and threats of adverse consequences” and commandeered the decision-making processes of social media companies, particularly in handling pandemic-related and 2020 election posts.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/09/08/biden-adminis...

To say they were free to refuse is disingeneous.

Yes, pressure is not the same as coercion. The 5th circuit is a notorious conservative circus show, I’ll wait for the Supreme Court’s decision.

How is "threats of adverse consequences" any different than what China does?

If a cartel member comes up to you and tells you to give him your wallet or there might be "consequences", do you think you are free to refuse him?

The US government has pressured various private orgs since forever to do stuff. Lots of stories about helping, refusals, court cases, retaliation. It's not much different than what goes on daily in the business world. Everyone will try to use their power to get their way.

However, this is contrary to China, who has never really pressured any Chinese organization to do anything. This is because they don't need to use pressure. They can just do it. Because there is no concept of "private organization" in China. The state has all the power.

It's so tellingly naive when people try to equivocate the US to China.

Yes, and when our government does it, we can hold them accountable. When an adversarial foreign power does it we cannot. Is that a difficult concept for you?

Yes, we will try hard to equate US government and China government. The 2 governments are so fungible and have equivalent due process for everything, especially for US citizens and citizens in other countries with border disputes. lol I can't even.