Post 3

 While I don't personally use tiktok, I can clearly see the danger that is presented when we consider the events that are currently happening surrounding its ban. I may not use tik tok itself, but I do use a number of other social media sites such as Instagram. As someone who is admittedly as obviously reliant as the rest of my peers on mobile technology and internet access, I am not a fan of the concept that our government is able to pick and choose which forms of media are acceptable for its citizens to consume based on its own self interest. By banning a specific social media site, the government sets a precedent that it can do the same to any other as long as it comes up with an acceptable reason. If we follow this line of thought we can see that while the reasoning may be national security now, it could just as easily be any other excuse put forward by people in positions of authority to further an agenda. 

These practices also contradict several of the values of free expression, particularly the marketplace of ideas. The marketplace of ideas is an incredibly important concept to me because I believe that the idea that the best or most deserving ideas will surpass its competitors naturally in a free environment has lots of credibility. No matter how a person defines the success of their idea, when they enter the marketplace of ideas they accept that only the most successful of the lot will come out on top as the best. In order to thrive in an environment such as this, a person is forced to learn to defend their idea and support it against others. When people engage in the market of ideas, they understand that if their idea is to succeed they will need to prove it superior to all others, and all participants strive for the same goal. After all is said and done, the person with the “best” concept will have proven it as such through the process of elimination. 

TikTok being banned in the United States is an example of a contradiction with the marketplace of ideas because TikTok, like every other comparable social media company, has already entered that market as an equal contender. While we may never see a true “best” social media site since different people enjoy different content subjectively, we can use popularity and usage rate as a scale for its success. TikTok has become one of the most commonly used social media apps to date, showing us that it has the ability to rise above its competitors in the market of ideas. By stepping in and forcibly interfering with this company, even going as far as forcing the owners of the product to sell it to another, the government tells us that it does not care about the process of the market of ideas. Because of these actions, the message that the government has sent to its citizens is that it does not truly care about their opportunity to engage in the market, only that the products that serve their best interests are the ones that are made to succeed.