US activists worry about ‘losing major asset’ TikTok as potential ban looms

Recent decisions by US gov’t and platforms have made organising on TikTok and Instagram much harder for activists.

US activists worry about ‘losing major asset’ TikTok as potential ban looms

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Michael Mezzatesta is a climate educator based in Los Angeles, California. For the last two years, he’s used TikTok and Instagram as a means to spread the word about climate marches and real-life ways people can get involved and fight to take on climate change.

In September 2023, he helped generate interest in the climate march in New York.

“We were expecting maybe 5,000 to 10,000 people there. I’m pretty sure more than 50,000 people showed up,” Mezzatesta told Al Jazeera.

He says that is largely thanks to TikTok.

“I had folks coming up to me that I didn’t even know during the march that said I saw your video and that’s why I’m here,” he added.

But Mezzatesta’s ability to use social media platforms like TikTok to organise is coming increasingly under threat.

A slew of recent decisions from Washington and from social media giants like X, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), and ByteDance (owner of Tiktok) has made organising on key social and political issues much more difficult before a consequential election cycle in the United States.

TikTok is fighting against a ban that President Joe Biden, citing data privacy concerns, signed into law. It requires ByteDance to completely spin off TikTok for the US audience or the platform will be banned. It could be at least a year before the ban ultimately takes effect pending legal challenges. The social media platform has filed a lawsuit against the US government amid allegations that the legislation violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects the right to free speech

.But the dispute between the federal government and ByteDance leaves activists like Mezzatesta in a tough spot as they explore the future of organising protests and demonstrations for the masses.

That sentiment is echoed by organisations like Gen-Z for Change — a collective of young activists.