Don't use TikTok, don't really care too much either way, but watching this whole thing unfold is starting to open my eyes to the ways these companies can shape public opinion.

They're apparently sending notifications to people to contact their reps and it seems very likely that they're promoting content that advocates against the ban.

I'm not a fan of censorship or blocking internet services but TikTok really seems to trying to make a good case for it.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This isn't the first time a company has done that. Uber famously used pop up ads to get people to vote for a ballot proposition. Enron went so hard on PR that everyone blamed the government for people losing the pension that had already been embezzled by the executives.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but that's okay because they're American, right?

[–] Kalysta@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

If you’re gonna ban this speech, then you should ban all speech from foreign governments, including the propaganda Israel is filling our country with for their genocide.

But this same congress who is so ready to silence China is unwilling to silence Israel. And Israel is not our ally. Our allies don’t try to drag us into genocides.

[–] WamGams@lemmy.ca 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

My understanding is that while rights are inalienable, meaning we recognize that Chinese citizens have the inherent right of free speech as well, not just in our direction, I'm not sure we grant free speech to mean a foreign state gets to use its technology to determine our national conversation.

I'm sure there would be teenage trans kids who through confusion ended up pro hamas, but I think tik tok could almost be accused of creating and fostering a movement that is certainly close to that very thing.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Wait. Are you blaming China for the anti Israel movement in politics?

That's... Impressive. Hilarious too but also impressive.

[–] WamGams@lemmy.ca 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I never conflated a pro-hamas movement with an anti-israel one.

If there are leftists or vulnerable minorities who have become indoctrinated into pro-hamas rhetoric, yes, I clearly think tik tok is responsible because these kids certainly aren't reading it on on storm front.

I am not interested in having a conversation where you pretend I am talking about the pro Palestine/anti Israeli government movements.

[–] Kalysta@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

My dude. No leftist is pro Hamas. Hamas wants to create a religious ethnostate just like Israel wants to create a religious ethnostate. We ARE pro Palestinian freedom. But Israel is the one who keeps making Hamas the dominant Palestinian political party, in order to use them as an excuse to continue their genocide.

Stop pretending to know what the left thinks when you’ve clearly never actually spoken to their members.

[–] WamGams@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

If something a person says that wasn't personally directed at you doesn't actually apply to you, they probably weren't talking about you.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sure and my racist uncle's joke about drowning a random person totally isn't just his black guy joke barely concealed.

The narrative has for months been that anyone who is critical of Israel is Pro Hamas. And now you want us to believe that's changed when someone is defending the most breathtakingly xenophobic bill in modern times?

Lmao. No.

[–] WamGams@lemmy.ca 4 points 8 months ago

You aren't talking to a narrative, but rather a human being. You understand that, yes?