TikTok and the rest of the internet: hello darkness my old friend

Seeing how searches for VPNs spiked over the weekend, I couldn’t help but wonder what app would need to be banned for me to notice immediately and go looking for a solution.

For me, Gen Y as they would call me in marketing terms, it would most likely be my mobile banking app. Honestly, every time I get a delayed notification about a purchase I made, especially over the weekend, my heart skips a beat. I got hacked, I think nearly every time.

As for the rest, I don’t think I really care that much as I’m outside a lot, still read print books and magazines, and even when I’m gaming, my PS4 console isn’t connected to the internet.

Therefore, it was so interesting to observe the havoc over the weekend and wonder whether that was induced intentionally or not. TikTok was shut down voluntarily a day earlier than it was supposed to be banned, prompting users to go and look for solutions immediately.

Many flocked to popular and/or cheap VPN solutions, hoping that would get them back online. Others weirdly swarmed to other apps of Chinese origin like Rednote.

Such a great idea – to replace an app that your government has banned for security reasons with another Chinese substitute. Does the TikTok ban in this case even make sense if users simply choose another app that, given its origin, could soon be deemed unsafe for US users?

There’s a lot of uncertainty around the future of TikTok in the US, and a lot of that is just a political gamble. It’s only understandable that many users are stressed – while for some it might be just a way to pass time, for creators, influencers, and brands TikTok is a money maker and they need clarity.

But one way or another, this will be sorted. In retrospect, it will be only a hiccup. Some things in the online world, though, will have more profound effects on netizens’ wallets.

Who’s your primary suspect here?

AI, of course, in all of its forms. Whether it’s a phishing email crafted with the help of an AI agent, or it’s something more sophisticated like a deepfake scam – you can run but you can’t hide.

Not only can AI steal your money, but it might break your heart, too. In France, a shocking story of AI mockery went viral. It told the story of 53-year-old interior decorator Anne who, believing she was in a relationship with Brad Pitt, lost nearly a million dollars.

Poor fake Pitt had his accounts frozen because of the divorce proceedings with Angelina Jolie. Then the AI-Pitt got kidney cancer.

“Like a fool, I paid... Every time I doubted him, he managed to dissipate my doubts,” Anne said.

She thought it was ridiculous, but, being not familiar with social media, didn’t really understand what was happening.

Will all heartfelt empathy to Anne, don’t be like Anne.

The online world can hurt you in a very physical way.