TikTok frenzy

 I did not know what TikTok was until very recently so one might argue this blog is biased. I say go ahead.

So apparently the Chinese have started creating products so well that they control a global mindshare beyond your pantry and closet space. This means what you think (if you do) and where you look and what you might say or do; what you ultimately buy; when you sleep or wake, is ever so cleverly manipulated through code written by Chinese programmers.  Marketers (many of them from America and Europe and everywhere) pay big money to be on this channel called TikTok.

Created by a 20 something engineer from China, the social media short video channel or platform as these things are called created a buzz instantly.  As of this writing it is claimed that half the American populace (approx. 170M have an account here). People clearly have a lot of spare time. I mean what with ordering pizza from your couch to zooming on pretend work calls what's a gal got to do?

So with this spare time people post all manners of videos (or ahem content) online for like minded viewers to consume. Cue the marketers.  Cereal to autos to insurance to whatever shirt or underwear or lipstick one wants is bombarded to billions of eyeballs glued to the piece of glass in their hands.

Apparently the ROI to average marketers is quite good. Now to the recent furor part.

This is where the story gets even more quirky.  The Americans suddenly went apeshit on this idea that their citizens were not only being brainwashed by a foreign entity but that the shrewd Chinese had somehow figured out a way to spy on America using this rather silly software in the hands of all those with time.

Well we cannot have that.  Stop it!  LOL.  I have no idea why this platform even works to be completely honest - well actually I do - because nobody goes to the library anymore. To read. A book. Or two. Among other ills. Whose fault is that? Well we can debate that ad nauseum on another blog.

Bottomline is that someone watches how to take glue off carpet in a video and suddenly its DEFCON 3. But wait there's more? What if the trick is really a way to do something sinister?

Hmm.

But indeed wait. There was more. As in TikTok got banned this weekend for a sum total of 3 hours. The entire social media kingdom must have agonized those 180 minutes when the clock so to speak stopped Tiktoking.

Then magically the ban was lifted. How come you ask? So it was just glue on carpet and not a brainwashing trick?

I think part of the answer to the riddle lies in who owns this brand. As in who are the shareholders. And lo and behold you see that the usual suspects from CA and NY have their hands all the way up to their armpits in this st(r)eaming pie.  I mean profits are delicious right?

And these same friends are friends with the new CinC.  So come on man. Do your bro a solid.  And so it goes.

We miserly few may never know the truth behind any of this nonsense one way or another just like we never knew what Covid was or is or if UFO are real or is Quinoa really good for you.

Hey but it is fun to get everyone in a frenzy once in a good while.