Right before the January 19th TikTokApocolypse, I sat down with my friend Lars Murray on his podcast Unlimited Supply, and I brought an axe to grind. It’s about why we should ban the word ban.

A few days later, there was a collective sigh of relief when the app reappeared. But now the looming April 5th deadline will likely bring more questions than answers, as well as online rhetoric that none of us need. In the meantime, it feels business as usual while we hope this all goes away. Either way… my point still stands.

It's not about TikTok, it's about the word ban and what attaching that word to platforms or products does in the marketplace. Nothing gives more value to a product in the market than the word banned.

Let me ask you a question… What do a lot of humans, especially young humans, like to do more than anything? Answer: rebel.

Hopefully you guys remember the PMRC. A bunch of pearl-clutchers in D.C. telling us, the disenchanted kids of America, that certain artists were so dangerous and bad that they required a warning label. So what did we do? We bought all those tapes, made copies, and shared them with our friends. How about banned books? We actually read those ones. Banned videos on MTV, no problem—turn them into purchasable video tapes (and a coffee table book—go Madonna). 

What about when we talk about banning food, alcohol, cigarettes or guns?

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I am fully supportive of guardrails for young humans, data protection and national security. But the constant use of the word ban ensures a perceived fight for freedom and curiosity skyrockets. Whether it's TikTok or the next TikTok, a movie, a book, or a substance, most people do not unilaterally agree the government knows what it's doing or that it's looking out for us. That is a full stop. And considering both candidates in the latest election used TikTok, that's not a political statement from me. If the platform was as harmful as they say it is, wouldn't the power have been in not using it?

Every day we concentrate on banning and singling out one platform, we make it more attractive for use and ignore improvements that need to be made across all platforms. And we can’t afford to do that.

Be good online… and in real life,

Jennie