The hearing of Shou Zi Chew by the American Congress went so badly that the boss of TikTok enjoys unprecedented solidarity on social networks, where several Internet users show him their affection. TikTok intends to use it to win its battle against the US political class.
“This person is really adorable”, “I trust you more than Mark Zuckerberg” Or “You deserved better”… On TikTok, the brutal hearing of Shou Zi Chew by the US Congress does not seem to have had the desired effect. By wanting to portray TikTok as a threat created by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on Americans, US officials were no doubt hoping to create awareness among young users of the app.
On March 24, the day after Shou Zi Chew’s hearing, TikTok posted a video of his boss in which he looks back on his commitments and thanks TikTok fans for their support. Almost all of the most popular comments are in his favor, as if the violence of the comments of American elected officials had made users want to support Shou Zi Chew.
Can TikTok build popular momentum?
Magic of algorithms requires, it is important to remember that this massive support for Shou Zi Chew is probably not representative of what all Americans think, even if nearly half of the United States is registered on TikTok today. today (150 million users). However, this video from TikTok highlights his new defense strategy. Faced with a revolted United States, already convinced that TikTok must be eliminated from the market, TikTok seems to be banking on the massive support of Americans to rebalance the balance. Popular support, in the face of a disavowed and often disconnected political class, is a good way to position oneself as a victim of an unjust system. TikTok has understood this very well.
Can the people save TikTok? It would take a truly massive move for the US to change its mind, which leaves us dubious about the effectiveness of TikTok’s strategy over the long term. Be that as it may, the sudden popularity of Shou Zi Chew, defended in plenty of videos broadcast on TikTok and elsewhere, is proof that the political fight in the United States is far from unanimous.
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