THE MOST DIVISIVE YET POPUlar social media platform is shaping up as one of the biggest players in this year's presidential election.
Despite criticism of TikTok from both sides, the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees are signaling that the Chinese-owned app will be critical to reaching voters, especially young ones, ahead of November.
President Joe Biden signed a law in April that would ban TikTok outright in the U.S. if Beijing-based ByteDance does not sell it by January 2025. And ex-President Donald Trump once tried to ban it with an executive order.
Yet on June 1, Trump launched a personal account with a 13-second video in which UFC President Dana White declared: "The president is now on TikTok." As of June 5, he had 5.4 million followers and his video had been viewed over 84.4 million times. And after months of avoiding it over privacy and national security concerns related to TikTok's Chinese ownership, the Biden campaign team joined the platform during Super Bowl in February.
Biden's campaign said it will use TikTok until Election Day, and added in a statement: "A fragmented media environment requires us to show up and meet voters where they are-and that includes online. TikTok is one of many places we're making sure our content is being seen by voters."
When approached by Newsweek, the Biden campaign said it has "a robust operation to reach young voters and move them to the polls" and has "built a deep bench of trusted messengers across social media platforms which dates back to 2020...and is continuing to grow now."
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mystery of Ginger Cat Is out of the Bag
The genetics behind the vibrant orange color in feline coats is finally confirmed after 112 years
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
PARIS HILTON AND NICOLE RICHIE ARE READY TO BRING A LITTLE “SANASA” to the world with Peacock's Paris & Nicole: The Encore, their first project together since their reality show The Simple Life ended in 2007. What's “sanasa”? It's a song and phrase the longtime friends created as kids and popularized on The Simple Life. The show, a cultural phenomenon in the early days of reality TV, followed them over a series of blue-collar jobs. Now they're bringing it back as an opera. “I know this is just going to make people laugh, have fun, be nostalgic and just celebrate our friendship,” Hilton said. While Richie acknowledged “you can't do Simple Life again,” she said now “felt like the right time.” The famous pair also revisit some old jobs in Arkansas, like fast-food chain Sonic, where they now have drinks named for them. “I think that there is a part of our friend- ship that the show ended up showing that people connect to,” Richie said. As for this new special, Hilton is glad to do something positive for their fans. “It's been such a crazy past couple years, and I just feel like the world needs more joy.”
What Next for Your Drugstore?
Walgreens and Amazon are placing opposing bets on the future of retail pharmacy
AMERICA'S GREATEST WORKPLACES for Diversity
AS COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO navigate the evolving dynamics of the workplace, diversity remains a cornerstone of organizational success and social responsibility.
FIGHTING SPIRITS
ANDREA MCCARTHY TOLD FRIENDS and family when she gave up alcohol on January 1, 2024, that she would toast 12 months off the sauce with a drink to ring in 2025. As that anniversary approached, the Los Angeles-born content creator told Newsweek she had had a change of heart.
Lessons Over Lunch
Ninety-year-old volunteer Hugh showed me how the winter years can be full of purpose
Is California's Green Dream Hot Air?
The state aims to rely on zero-carbon energy sources in two decades' time but has hurdles to overcome along the way
Power Struggle
As the dust settles following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, new front lines could be drawn in Syria's old civil war
Downsizing Goes Bust for Boomers
Rising property costs are not just affecting young Americans—older people are ‘aging in place’ due to a dearth of affordable accessible housing
Ray Romano
\"I read about three scripts, and at the end of each there was a little twist, a little turn, [and] it was funny.\"
