The video app TikTok, whose ban in the US is under constant debate, has become an important news source for Americans in recent years. According to a study by the opinion research institute Pew Research Center, 14 percent of adults there regularly check the latest news. Three years ago that was only three percent. TikTok overtook Twitter, which was renamed X by owner Elon Musk. According to the survey, 12 percent of American adults regularly receive news content, up from 15 percent three years ago.
The top online platform for news content in the US is still Facebook, where 30 percent of adults get their information, followed by YouTube at 26 percent. These values are partly due to the sheer size of the platforms.
At the same time, news on X still has a higher priority than on other online services. 53 percent of X users said they regularly consume news on the platform. However, this is also a decrease from 59 percent three years ago. On TikTok, the value increased from 22 to 43 percent during this period. The video app overtook Facebook, which saw a steep decline from 54 percent in the 2020 survey. Pew surveyed 8,842 people in the United States between September 25 and October 1.
TikTok is the only successful online platform in the West that does not originate from the US. There are concerns, especially in the US, but also in Europe, that the app could be misused by Chinese authorities to collect information about users. Governments of several countries and the European Commission have banned the use of TikTok on mobile phones at work.
TikTok always rejects all allegations and emphasizes that it does not see itself as a subsidiary of a Chinese company. Bytedance is 60 percent owned by Western investors. The company’s headquarters are in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean. Critics counter that the Chinese founders, with a 20 percent stake, retained control thanks to higher voting rights and that Bytedance has a major headquarters in Beijing.
Tiktok is trying to address concerns in the US and EU with local data storage and external monitoring of data flows. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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