TikTok gained even more notoriety in 2020 with many trends helping people get through quarantine together, and it wasn’t just about the dance videos. Some used the popular app to find others with similar interests and styles, while others searched for tutorials and recipes.

Some found major influencers, such as Charlie D'amelio and friends, to be a source of entertainment. Endless drama seemed to surround the group this past year, with many of them being “cancelled”—some more than once. Mainly known for her dance videos, D'amelio reached 100 million followers towards the end of 2020.

Others preferred videos on a different side of the app. “Alt” TikTok saw a rise in viewers, with many adopting the style and values of the alt community during quarantine. Different “sides’ of the app emerge every day providing community for users looking for specific content. Some users found their way onto the cooking, activism, or comedy sides, among other variations.

Many found themselves on different sides of the app at once.

“I’m mostly on art, activism and alt/gay TikTok,” junior Chase Lohry stated.

Junior Emiy Garcia shared, “I mainly watch frog, animation, art, or Gen Z humor TikToks.”

The threatened TikTok ban was also a primary issue concerning the app in 2020. Since the app’s parent company is based in China, people believed the app to be a potential security risk, leaking users’ information to the Chinese government.

President Donald Trump even tried, and failed, to have the app banned multiple times. Finally, an ultimatum was issued to ByteDance, the platform’s developers—sell its American data to a U.S. company or be banned in the United States.

A date was set in October for the app to be removed from all American app stores. The app would then be completely banned November 12 if a deal hadn’t been secured.

However, three TikTokers filed a lawsuit against the ban, stating that banning the app would “limit professional opportunities.” This lawsuit overturned the restrictions, at least temporarily. As the issue has not yet arisen again, and is unlikely to do so under President-elect Biden’s administration, it seems the app will remain available in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

“I was kind of worried about it since it seems like a violation of free speech to take a platform away from people,” Garcia shared.

Lohry had similar concerns: “I was worried it would get banned. TikTok has been a wonderful resource for learning about worldwide human rights issues and being able to spread and share important information.”

Some, like Garcia, don’t use the app to consume its content, instead preferring to watch reposts of the short videos on other platforms.

“I mainly watch TikToks off YouTube because then I don’t have to sit through the not-so-good stuff to find the gold,” Garcia advised.

Whatever your stance on TikTok, there’s certainly something on the app for everyone!