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We all got played! TikTok, Meta and the future of social media

We all got played! TikTok, Meta and the future of social media

Shira Lazar
January 19, 2025

In partnership with

Social media platforms are at a critical crossroads, and the current landscape feels like an absolute mess. There’s so much happening—let me break it down from my perspective.

Creator economy experts like Lia Haberman have pointed out a troubling trend: these platforms seem to be self-destructing. This sentiment echoes widely as industry giants like TikTok and Meta grapple with challenges both internal and external.

At the same time, others are drawing attention to the murky overlap between government influence and social media. The recent TikTok saga, in particular, has left many wondering—were we all just pawns in a larger political game?

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Let’s Look Back: The TikTok Timeline

The Associated Press wrote an excellent piece on this, but here’s a streamlined breakdown of events:

July 31, 2020: During his first term, President Trump announces his opposition to TikTok, calling for a ban.
August 2020: Trump orders ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest its U.S. operations within 90 days.
March 2024: The House of Representatives passes the TikTok Ban or Sell Bill (part of a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan), pushing the plan forward after being postponed by President Biden.
April 2024: President Biden signs the bill into law.
June 2024: Amid his presidential campaign, Trump surprises Gen Z by launching his own TikTok account, making waves on the platform.
January 17, 2024: The Supreme Court upholds the TikTok ban law. The Biden administration announces it will be up to President-elect Donald Trump to implement the ban.
January 18, 2024: In a dramatic turn of events, TikTok shuts down hours before the January 19th deadline, issuing a preemptive thank-you to President-elect Trump.

But the plot thickens:

By the morning, TikTok is back online. According to The Verge, TikTok’s service providers, including Apple, Google, and Oracle, now face billions in potential penalties under the new law. However, Trump reportedly assures these companies they won’t face fines if they allow TikTok to continue operating.

TikTok’s relationship with Trump is unmistakably cozy. The app is full of references to him—from social media posts to video content and in-app alerts. And in another bold move, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is reportedly attending Trump’s inauguration.

Is TikTok the new digital billboard for Trump’s presidency? It certainly seems like it.

So, What Could Happen Now?

Even if influential figures like Trump advocate for TikTok to stay, the Supreme Court has made its stance clear: national security takes precedence over First Amendment concerns. Lawyer Franklin Graves offers an insightful breakdown of the decision—check it out here.

Adding to the drama, Trump said he would revive TikTok via Executive Order after being sworn into office Monday. He also posted on his own platform, Truth Social:

“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up.”

This bold proposal underscores Trump’s strategy to position himself as both a savior of the social media generation and a champion of American control over foreign-owned platforms. By attempting to tie TikTok’s survival to national interests, he’s leaning into his role as a disruptor and political showman.

Amidst the high-stakes decisions and political theater, theories and rumors around what actually went down are swirling:

Mark Zuckerberg secretly bought TikTok during the shutdown.
There’s no evidence to support this claim.
The shutdown benefited conservatives like Rep. Michael McCaul, who introduced the TikTok ban bill, by boosting Meta stock.
This was debunked by Newsweek a month ago.
Per journalist Taylor Lorenz on Bluesky, “speech on the app related to Gaza” incited Democrats originally to ban TikTok, which led TikTok right back into the hands of Donald Trump.

Meta's Role in the Drama

Meta’s controversial shift to align with conservative politics ahead of Trump’s second term has sparked outrage, user boycotts, and a mass exodus of creators. Here’s what’s happening:

End of Fact-Checking and Content Moderation: Meta recently ended its third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. and scaled back moderation on political discourse.
Rollbacks on DEI Initiatives: Policies designed to protect vulnerable communities, such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), have been dismantled.
New Policies on Hateful Conduct: Updates now permit name-calling against LGBTQ+ individuals and the mentally ill, further alienating users.

Prominent creators like Marie Valencia, a queer Chicana artist, are leaving Meta platforms despite having significant followings, citing a hostile environment.

The Big Picture

With X, Meta, and TikTok leaning more toward conservative ideologies, the social media landscape feels increasingly polarized. Platforms like Google (YouTube) and Amazon have contributed to Trump-related initiatives in the past but remain less vocal. Meanwhile, LinkedIn seems to be flying under the radar, with many speculating it could become the next big platform for creators to invest in.

The Rise of Decentralization

Decentralized platforms like Bluesky are gaining traction as alternatives to traditional, centralized social networks for greater user control and privacy. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban, for example, is exploring decentralized models, including expressing interest in funding a TikTok alternative built on the AT Protocol, the same tech behind Bluesky. Cuban’s move aligns with his broader investments in decentralized finance (DeFi), such as Injective Protocol.

I discuss this further in my latest Instagram video:

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Journalist Kara Swisher is also making her mark on Bluesky, pointing to the growing politicization and toxic masculinity of platforms like Meta and X. She recently shared a post by NYTimes journalist Kevin Roose titled, What if No One Missed TikTok? The piece explores the potential silver linings of a TikTok shutdown, despite its projected $1 billion loss in the first month for creators and small businesses.

My Hot Take

Personally, a TikTok shutdown would mean losing income, brand deals, and the ability to boast about my 617,300 followers (and growing) as well as my company What’s Trending’s almost 2 million follower base. But during the platform’s brief 12-hour hiatus, I experienced an unexpected sense of relief—less noise, fewer notifications, and, according to my screen time tracker, an extra hour in my day.

The irony? The platforms controlling our attention are now the ones spiraling out of control. Whether it’s Meta, TikTok, or the next big player, it’s clear that creators and users are at the mercy of forces far beyond their control—politics, profits, and policies that shift overnight.

Which is why I’m continuing to play on other platforms YouTube Shorts and even Instagram and Threads, where I’m still able to make money, as well as doubling down on my newsletter, speaking and consulting work with bigger companies about the creator economy. I’ll be investing more time on Bluesky too– follow me! Decentralized platforms, especially for video, would be a game-changer. They’d offer creators more control and eliminate the constant need to rebuild from scratch every time a platform shifts—or implodes. That kind of stability would be a huge boost not just for creators’ businesses but for our mental health, too.

And here’s the thing: Gen Z hates being played. Meta is already losing them, and now TikTok risks alienating its most loyal users, too. Already some creators like Franchesca Ramsey are seeing her anti-MAGA related content being demonetized, and calling out censorship.

When platforms forget who’s driving their growth and start treating creators and users like pawns, they’re bound to lose the game.

Other headlines to check out: