While older generations have been arguing over X vs. BlueSky, Gen Z has been off creating their own cultural space on TikTok. All their videos end up

TikTok Ban and Gen Z: Dying Social Media is New Generational Rite of Passage

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2025-01-21 17:00:13

While older generations have been arguing over X vs. BlueSky, Gen Z has been off creating their own cultural space on TikTok. All their videos end up getting reposted on other platforms a week after they go viral on TikTok. In short, TikTok has the juice, or else it did before this week’s ban.

While President Donald Trump offered a reprieve, bringing the site back at least in the short-term, Gen Z hasn’t been happy that the place they built and love has become a political football. Whether you agree with the principles of the ban or not, you can at least recognize that a generation suddenly must grapple with losing their home.

The rise of social media and its impact on generations has been well documented. But given the limited timeframe that we’ve had them, the ramifications of their demise for those same generations are still playing out.

As humans, the death of social media platforms is a new experience. We haven’t seen the central facet of our social lives suddenly flicker out like a broken porch light.