CON V ERGING CA MPUS & COMMU NIT Y
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 113, NO. 10
G O I N G
DA RK U.S. TikTok ban pushed back 75 days after brief shutdown DAKOTA OSWALT News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN
T
he morning of Jan. 17, the Supreme Court of the United States gathered to vote on a decision to ban TikTok — owned by ByteDance — in the U.S., unanimously agreeing to move forward with it. The government has been talking about this ban for nearly five years. Although the most recent ban initially persisted, President Donald Trump has since extended the ban by 75 days in order to find a U.S. buyer, according to PBS News. During Trump’s first term, he said additional steps must be taken to deal with the virality of apps available in the United States owned by the People’s Republic of China. He said these apps threatened national security, foreign policy and the economy, according to the Trump Whitehouse Archives. “At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok,” Trump said in an executive order Aug. 6, 2020. However, in June 2024, Trump joined the platform as a way to advertise his presidential campaign, gaining over 15 million followers. Trump is not the only person to campaign and advertise through the platform. Reports show U.S. TikTok advertisement revenue was projected to reach over $10 billion in 2024. TikTok also made up 3.4% of the total U.S. digital advertising market, according to Basis Technologies. A Business Insider survey also found that most advertisement buyers prefer TikTok over other short-form video content providers, like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. TikTok is the main platform for millions of small businesses, social media influencers and institutions across the country. Northwest is one
entity that would be affected by a ban. Ashlee Hendrix is the digital content manager for the University. She works with Northwest’s social media pages and engages with prospective students. Hendrix said she approached the potential TikTok ban with a wait-and-see attitude, as it has been talked about for many years. She said if anything happened, the University would likely reposition itself, either using TikTok content for already-popular platforms, or moving to another app.
TikTok was shut down around
14 hours in the U.S.
“I know that there’s been some talk of Lemon8, and then there’s another ByteDance app (RedNote), but I don’t think it’s a smart move to go to another ByteDance app if they’re going to get rid of TikTok,” Hendrix said. “We just have to be adaptive to what’s available and what becomes popular.” Northwest Senior Marketing Specialist Kala Dixon said she would be surprised if TikTok went away for good, but she doesn’t necessarily believe its disappearance would negatively impact the University. Hendrix said Northwest’s TikTok page is performing well, but traffic is higher on Instagram Reels. Due to this, and the popularity of other similar apps, Dixon said the social media team will be responsive to whatever app comes next. “It’s all so similar, it’s a lot of the same students seeing the same things,” Dixon said. “It just depends on the platform, so I don’t think it’s going to be detrimental to our recruitment efforts at all.”
SEE TIKTOK | A4
@THEMISSOURIAN
Advocates gather for People’s March in Maryville ASTRE SCHLAISS News Reporter | @AstreWords
Individuals from across the country gathered to participate in the People’s March Jan. 18. Maryville was no different, with a group of demonstrators and signs appearing outside of the Nodaway County Courthouse at 10:00 a.m. The People’s March, previously known as the Women’s March, started in Washington, D.C., as well as across the United States. People held signs advocating for issues like women’s health care and social security. Nancy Zelif, a retired professor of computer and information systems at Northwest, helped organize the march in Maryville. She said she was motivated by concern for current issues talked about in Jefferson City, Missouri, such as genderaffirming care and abortion.
“
I felt that as a professor at a public institution, I had to remain a bit more neutral. Once I retired, I felt the need to speak out, especially with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.”
NANCY ZELIF
RETIRED NORTHWEST PROFESSOR
“I felt that as a professor at a public institution, I had to remain a bit more neutral,” Zelif said. “Once I retired, I felt the need to speak out, especially with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” Roe v. Wade is a Supreme Court case that allowed abortion access throughout the United States of America. It argued, in short, that the right to terminate a pregnancy is protected under the right to privacy. This was overturned in June 2022, leaving it up to the state. Zelif said she is worried about the rights of her two daughters, who have had high-risk pregnancies, in Missouri, where abortion access has been a contentious issue. While Missouri voters elected in favor of an abortion amendment to the state’s constitution Nov. 5, Zelif expressed doubt that the state will fully implement the will of the people on this issue. She also voiced concerns about upcoming legislation related to gender-affirming care and the state’s handling of the recent minimum wage increase. This includes the recent Senate bill 49, which bans gender-affirming medical care for minors and newly elected members of Missouri Congress looking to have exemptions to the wage increase.
SEE MARCH | A4
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1914.
PLEASE
RECYCLE