In less than 24 hours the most downloaded app in the world, TikTok, was subsequently banned and then unbanned just a couple days before Donald Trump began his second term as president of the United States. The ban, which took effect Jan. 18, was reversed due to a promise by the soon to be sworn in President Trump who told TikTok that “they will face no penalties” for continuing service, despite the Supreme Court’s prior ruling. One day after the reversal of the ban, Trump took office. With TikTok unbanned and Trump as acting president, CWU students reflect on what the recent news means to them.
Upon TikTok’s return to service, the app issued the following statement, “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” On many social media platforms there is debate about the intended purpose of this message. However, for some CWU TikTok users the message did not necessarily influence them at all.
Luis Cruz, a junior majoring in secondary education and art education, shared his opinion on the message. “I wouldn’t say it changed my mind,” Cruz said. “I’ve been pretty set on who I intended to vote for.”
According to a poll on the Observer’s Instagram, 63% of CWU students say that they regularly use TikTok, reflecting a use rate that is 4% higher than the national average.
Dr. Mark Meister, professor of communication, said that an important concept for TikTok users to understand if they are to keep using the app is that of media literacy. “One of the things that needs to happen is perhaps users of Tiktok need to become more literate of the credibility of the content that they find relevant,” Meister said. “Perhaps we need to, as consumers of social media and all electronic communication, be very conscious of judging the credibility, legitimacy and validity of the content we consume.”
TikTok’s rapid twist of events comes in the wake of another major event that happened this past weekend. On Jan. 20 Donald Trump was sworn into office for his second term as president.
During his inauguration Trump clarified the issues he would be immediately tackling as president. The main topic of his speech included energy, deportation, gender and tariffs across the country. “My top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free,” Trump said during his presidential address.
To some CWU students this inauguration marks the beginning of a four year term that they hope will bring the U.S. back to more stable economic times. “I don’t even care about the gender stuff,” one anonymous CWU student said. “To be completely honest, I’m running out of money and I really just want to be able to afford my groceries. If Trump can fix that, that’s all I honestly care about.”
However, not every student is looking at the next four years as optimistically as others. “I’m just worried things are going to get more expensive,” Cruz said. “His first go around wasn’t very good, and I think this might go the exact same way.”
Trump also discussed ideas surrounding gender in his inaugural speech. “This week I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” Trump said. “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Another CWU student who wished to remain anonymous talked about her fears surrounding being a woman during Trump’s second term. “I don’t really have fear of being a student, I just have a fear of being a female in this country right now. More and more rights are being taken away…that’s what freaks me out.”
Edyn Totten, a senior IT major at CWU, talked about their fears surrounding Trump’s policies on gender. “The vast majority of my friend groups and people who I love very dearly are queer, trans, women or multiple of those things,” Totten said. “I’ve already been in the state of mind where it’s like, I’m getting ready to prepare myself and potentially others in the event that something goes wrong. And I’m glad I’ve been doing that.”
Totten talked about an event in CWU’s past that they said serves as a warning for CWU’s future. “I am not sure if everyone is old enough here to remember this,” Totten said. “There was a burning of a pride flag on campus a while back during the COVID era. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see something like that again. In the meantime, I just hope that I can do as much as possible to get people to mobilize and group up.”
Trump is now set to serve as president through 2029, and within his first couple days in office has already enacted some of the many executive orders he promised in his campaign speeches. The ord
ers include moving to end birthright citizenship, freezing federal hiring, ending remote work policies and declaring two national emergencies. One surrounding migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and one declaring a national energy emergency; the first in the history of the United States.
While CWU student reactions were mixed following the TikTok ban and the presidential inauguration, some students expressed frustration when it came to American politics in general. “I was grossly disappointed with the state of American politics,” Totten said. “And I am still grossly disappointed with the state of American politics.”
