TikTok has given many a place where their artistic self-expression can thrive, while for others, it has become an excuse to hit pause; whether or not the platform is creatively stimulating or artistically suffocating is almost as controversial as the ban itself.

Every January since 2020, the rumor of whether TikTok will be banned in our country has rapidly spread throughout social media. Many of us panicked, saved one too many drafts, and by February the conversation had quelled. Widespread concerns of the Chinese government possibly accessing personal data through TikTok caused the US government to leap into action. As of April 2024, former President Joe Biden signed into law The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which allows the government the ability to ban any foreign-owned apps. After reviewing the law, the Supreme Court decided to not block it. TikTok therefore shortly disabled the app in the United States, but only hours later, it was re-enabled. However, there is still plenty of possibility for the situation to turn the other way, especially with President Trump's wavering opinions on the matter. This dramatically changes the day-to-day routine of many of TikTok’s over 150 million US users.

What blossomed into a combination of content-sharing apps like Tumblr, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram has quickly become an unparalleled platform for people to connect. Like many other users, I find myself opening TikTok at least once or twice a day, as it has become part of my daily routine and helps me unwind and relax. Creators are able to share countless forms of art by posting clips of their paintings and drawings, performing dances and songs, trying new recipes, journaling, writing poetry, sharing song lyrics and so much more.

I especially love the fashion community that TikTok has created; people with all different styles following various aesthetics posting their “outfits of the day” and sharing how they like to dress. People have found confidence in connecting with complete strangers on topics they are passionate about or learning about new ones they are interested in.

With more and more fast-paced world attention spans, specifically in teenagers, TikTok hasn’t helped, adding to the problem by a tenfold. This has made people wonder if this never ending stream of videos is actually inspiring or simply overwhelming. Yes, falling into the mentally deadly trap of comparison is easy, and many assume that people have just become “too lazy” to go and create art when there is a constant flow of it ready for them to consume. However, the next video has every possibility to spark a new project or fuel somebody's next big idea.

Is artistic expression fueled or stifled by TikTok?

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