TikTok on Substack
Posting my last TikTok video here as my first video on Substack
Here on Substack.com I make memes mostly, sometimes with additional commentary, usually on subjects of a political, cultural or societal nature. On my TikTok account, it’s a different me, sillier on mostly non-controversial topics, though still thought provoking and clever.
I went to my TikTok account a moment ago (9:00 PM PST Saturday, January 18) only to be greeted by this message:
Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now
A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.
We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!
I was on the TikTok app a few hours ago. Many creators were posting their final goodbye videos. Many others were sharing links to all their other social media accounts. Many were moving their TikTok videos to other platforms, notably REDnote, ironically an app owned wholly by the Chinese government.
I’m not any kind of influencer, don’t have active social media accounts, so I’m not looking to replace any TikTok following. TikTok was a place where I could gain practice at making videos (and have the satisfaction that at least a few people watched them.)
So here’s the video I posted to TikTok yesterday, the last of about 60 in my account. It’s not at all political, somewhat philosophical, and maybe meaningful to my subscribers. It’s called UNDER STAND A TREE, only 30 seconds (it loops endlessly, like on TikTok, part of the charm… or not.)
Maybe TikTok will come back. I suspect it will, but the message will have been delivered: a platform that allows free expression and contra-narrative perspectives can be throttled at any time on any pretense.
If TikTok resurrects, I will continue to create silly (and some serious) videos for the platform. If it dies or is neutered beyond recognition, then I’ll have to think up some MEEMINGFUL political skits for Substack.
UPDATE (11:15 AM PST Sunday, January 19th)
Apparently, TikTok is coming back to life. So say the news reports and I’m able to access my account there once again. I have the sneaking suspicion that this shutdown/restart was pre-planned theatre meant to jolt the user community into accepting a reformed TikTok-lite with reduced freedom of expression and increased government intrusion.
That was a riot Ned B. It actually took me a few seconds for my brain to shift out of 1st gear, of course it’s 228 AM. Thanks!! I think they’ll be back, at least Trump is saying that. Everything today seems to be connected inside, in other words, whoever is interested in buying Tik Tok has an inside line with Trump and Trump will keep up the pressure until it’s sold to wherever Trump wants to end up buying it. It’s such a corrupt world today I look at everything with pessimism. Wholesome integrity is a very rare trait today.
SWEET! I was one of the OG tree huggers!
Can't say this often enough and reiterating for the sake of newbies and to support this post.
I am a FREE SPEECH absolutist! All the censorship out there is pure evil!
Without freedom of speech and expression, there is nothing but a 'boot stamping on your face forever', total tyranny and slavery! Free speech must be protected and preserved at all costs!
citizensforfreespeech.org
thefire.org
PSYCHOPATHS! MEGALOMANIACS!
The monsters in human skin suits who rule the world get a sadistic vampiric thrill and boost from perpetrating the vilest most demonic crimes against the most vulnerable (babies and small children) and then corrupting the system to get away with it scot free! We the People must stop them, there are a lot more of us than them!
Divide and rule! Agents provocateurs anyone, FALSE FLAGS, propaganda social engineering psyops? Keeping us proles at each others' throats while the globalist technocrat predators laugh all the way to the BIS and The Bank of Rothschild's!
This horrifying Governor 'Gruesome Newscum', 'Lone Scum', Soros, 'Benedict' Biden and Harris and even Trump, Vance, and 'Ramaswampy' et al are blatant fully owned and operated puppets of their globalist technocrat parasite masters same as other numerous 'PUBLIC SERPENTS' infesting by design from above, the bureaucratic apparatus.
BURN BACK BETTER!
CREATIVITY! ARTISTRY! IMAGINATION! SPIRITUALITY! HUMOR! LOVING KINDNESS! These are the best ways to fight THEM!
Life everywhere is being assaulted by THE TECHNOCRATIC OMNIWAR! RESIST! DO NOT CONSENT TO ALL THINGS DIGITAL, 'SMART', AI, 5G, NO CASH - ALL OF IT! dhughes.substack.com Technocrat ruling class psychos get a sadistic thrill from their powers over life and death and hurting all who stand in their way and they need the resources worldwide to build their digital total slavery control grids (herd survivors into 15 minute city digital prisons)!
AI is designed to be anti-human/anti-life programmed by technocrat control freak psychos - garbage in = garbage out. Everyone got along just fine without all these absurd and downright satanic electronic gadgets that did not exist until recently. NOBODY NEEDS THIS AI CRAP!
Bless and thank you for doing what you do!