TikTok Ban & Alternatives
- Last Updated March 5, 2025
- Originally Posted
Overview
Currently the new ban date for TikTok is April 5th and it’s coming up fast. It’s unlikely that the app will receive another extension so we’ll explore a number of TikTok replacements. We’ll also explore what the “Fediverse” is and how it might be the future of social media.
What's Happening & Why
The United States passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which requires that TikTok either sell to a US based company or be banned from use altogether in the US. In summary, the act feels that TikTok is a security risk.
There is a lot of debate on whether or not TikTok actually poses a security risk. Many security analysts and researchers have pointed out that the data collected by TikTok is no different that the data collection practices of US based social media apps. Perhaps the real conversation we should be having is about data collection policies in general, but that’s a conversation for another day.
As a former head of IT for a global cyber security company I do see some potential risks with TikTok but I also see some easy ways those can be addressed without a full ban. However at the end of the day whether the ban happens or not is outside of our control and all we can do is move forward.
Replacement Options
Unfortunately there are no exact replacements for TikTok as it really was a one of a kind platform. The major players that offer similar functionality would be YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Snapchat, and Facebook.
YouTube Shorts – With the wild sucess of TikTok, “Shorts” was YouTube’s copycat product in attempt to jump on the shortform vertical video train. Shorts is a decent alternative for both consumers and content creators as there are some benefits to having short and long for videos on a single platform.
Instagram Reels – Meta also jumped on the copycat train and released “Reels” to compete with TikTok. Reels does have a somewhat similar look and feel to TikTok however the algorithm isn’t as good at showing you content your actually interested in. Additionally Meta in recent years can’t seem to pick a lane and blurs the lines between Instagram and Facebook with Reels being shown on Facebook. It makes using and the distinction between the two confusing.
Snapchat – While not a bad option, Snapchat inherently feels like a step backwards. It was extremely popular 10 years ago and even likely paved the way for an app like TikTok. But ultimately even though Snapchat is a short form video platform it doesn’t have the same user interaction of other platforms and I can’t see it becoming popular again unless they do a major overhaul and some serious marketing.
Facebook – This one is the lowest pick in my opinion. While Facebook is still fairly popular among older generations it doesn’t really have the support of users as a whole. And the major issue is that while Facebook does support videos, Facebook is not a “video first” platform which many users are seeking. Unless something radically changes, I don’t see Facebook as a viable TikTok alternative.
Introducing the Fediverse!
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Introducing the Fediverse!
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