tiktok!!
In all likelihood, Montana’s TikTok ban is impossible to implement, both legally and practically. A national ban would be a really significant loss, and I think it’s worth recognizing that. The current frames I’ve been hearing are “TikTok is trash so of course we could ban it” or “TikTok is a treasure so of course we shouldn’t ban it.”
A content platform is not its code, it is its cultures. To destroy that is a truly dramatic step and I hope the people considering doing that understand what they are proposing. I hope they are motivated by more than a distaste for social media and trying to look “tough on china.” But, honestly, I don’t know.
I think we’ve gotten ourselves into quite a pickle and I think it’s OK to say “I don’t know what to do about this.”
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The Format™️ meets Thoughts From Places
I always love that he is so honest about his feelings and opinions
I’ll admit I was surprised you weren’t speaking out about this, but I also understand wanting to not give them attention and what the effect of giving them attention is.
The pace at which states keep passing wack laws is crazy these days.
Lmao I love The Format for this video, but I love even more imagining how The Format would look to anyone who watches this for Hank’s opinion on TikTok Bans without knowing about the context behind The Format in the first place.
As an app developer, I just want to chime in and say there’s no way to ban based on state. Maybe Apple does something with that… but there’s literally no way to do it currently on my end. They could maybe ban the IP or something… but that seems equally hard/impossible to enforce completely as there’s many ways around that.
I mean, Hank is (probably) the biggest Tik Tok creator in Montana, but also he wrote 2 fictional books about social media and the power it has over society.
Nuanced and insightful. This is why I watch you guys.
There shouldn’t be a ban on tiktok, there should be a ban on mass data harvesting
Its so weird seeing a person you look up to and watch in a place you’ve been so often. It feels unreal.
In Ireland (and I think other places?) TikTok is being banned on official government devices, surely that’s more realistic than banning it in a whole state?
“why don’t you talk about it?” “because I don’t know what to say”
I want more of this tbh
(not from you, just like….in general)
I really like the mobility the wireless mic gives but I also love the aesthetic of the 36 ft wire.
i think these scenes of Hank switching between looking really big and small, while searching for unseen and unknown things, really captures the content of the video
Brilliant video. I think the TikTok bans in their current iteration are performative and troubling (in addition to probably? being illegal) But I also think we aren’t talking nearly enough about all the forms of regulation needed or the impact TikTok in particular is having.
As a middle school teacher I work with hundreds of kids across lots of socioeconomic & cultural backgrounds & I see a lot of kids on TikTok. It’s bad for them.
Is that the only thing going on? Of course not. Is there also great stuff on TikTok? Of course. But social media and internet usage was already a problem and it’s worse now for sure. And the way my kids use TikTok is different from the way they used other things.
I grew up with social media; I have always taught with kids having it. And it’s hard to say what’s TikTok and what’s COVID and what’s the fracturing of social media and our attention etc. But when a kid tries to rip a shirt of another kid, it’s bc they saw it on TikTok. When they rip sinks from wall at school, it’s TikTok. And whenever I take their phones over and over, they’re on TikTok. And it makes sense. It’s a super enticing format. Esp if you’re 12 and have a fractured attention span (like all of us) and a still developing frontal lobe. The way these kids are using these things is worrisome. And in my experience, folks that aren’t working directly with kids don’t think about it and aren’t that worried about it. But like… it’s for sure concerning.
There’s a lot going on, and a lot of people responsible. But our society is very quick to continuall
This whole Tik Tok ban situation speaks about a larger issue. Governments have no idea what to do or how to regulate social media platforms
I think it’s really odd to target specific platforms with legislation like this. If legislation required a certain level of user control over their algorithmic feeds (being able to actually see what you subscribe to, chronological feed as an option, being better able to ban certain types of content from your feed more easily, etc) that would not only defang a lot of the potential harm of places like TikTok but also make social media a healthier experience in general.
I moved to Montana for grad school in 2020 and quickly realized it was like moving to another country compared to the other western states I’d lived in. I can’t wait to leave, and I commend you, and all the other sane people, for staying here and pushing back on the insanity from the inside.
“Performative governance” is my new favorite phrase. It’s perfect for everything we’re seeing right now.
To be honest, I get the impetus behind a tiktok ban, but we should be equally concerned about data harvesting by US-based social platforms. It’s upsetting to know that what we don’t have (a “data protection” law like the GDPR in Europe) actually doesn’t even go far enough; data protection laws implicitly endorse the initial data _collection._
The way this is shot made me really nostalgic for OG vlogbrothers videos. I remember my only real friend and I connected by watching those videos and the jokes that stuck with us. I remember reading Paper Towns in high school around that time as well and benefitting from it a lot. I even did a paper on Hank for my Economics class, which got me an A. I remember my wife read Hank’s books first and kept badgering me to read them, too, and when I finally did I was really overcome with this feeling of being home. Hank and John are men that have been a part of my life longer then most, and made a larger impact than many.
I just wanted to share a little of myself here, and I know it’s not in-keeping with the TikTok discussion, but Hank and John, never underestimate the good you do every day just by posting, and being a positive presence in the lives of so many. Thank you for being yourselves and sharing so much of yourselves with all of us.
“To perform governance rather than to govern”
Hit the nail on the head.
I love that he has the courage to say “I don’t know” instead of making up something to seem informed.
This video was just very good vibes. I don’t necessarily mean “good” as in “positive”, but as in “an important conversation touching on a lot of complex issues and both acknowledging and accepting the uncertainties of the situation” at the same time as “peaceful outside grass-touching water-watching to keep calm while difficult conversation’s going on”
I adored this video. What was discussed, how it was discussed, the format, how excited Hank got at finding a thing and not knowing what it was, and many other small moments. I needed a smaile and this brought me one that’s still on my face even with the video over. Thank you.
Hank Green, one of my childhood heroes, standing about 3 miles from my current home, with my hometown in the background of a vlogbrothers video, has made me incredibly emotional indeed. Love your work Hank, thanks for saying “I don’t know” and calling out the performative BS.
+ I love you Hank, and love your careful, intentional, and calm insight in a time of inflammatory media. This community has been many things for me personally over the years and the older I get the more it feels like a refuge. A place to feel grounded and mindful. So thank you Hank, thank you John, and thank you, all you nerdfighters who happen to stumble across this sentiment I lob into the void!❤️
Just wanna say thank you for talking to local reporters! Reaching out to sources can be frustrating when you want to write a good story for your readers. Thanks for supporting independent publications and local news sources ❤️