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TikTok ban contributes to larger trend of xenophobia Below excerpt and title of the article reported by Muthukrishnan. S. (2023, February 14). TikTok ban contributes to larger trend of xenophobia. The Daily Texan A 2020 study by Stop AAPI Hate found that “one in 10 tweets by politicians about Asian Americans included racist or stigmatizing language.” This trend of xenophobia was reinforced through Texas’ TikTok ban. “This (rise in xenophobia against Chinese individuals) is nothing new, it’s part of a much longer history of the U.S. approaching China as a major global competitor,” said Laurel Mei-Singh, assistant professor of Asian American Studies and geography. Through pieces of legislation like the 1875 Page Act, which barred undesirable immigrants, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted Chinese individuals from immigrating to the United States, the link between xenophobia and U.S. policy is undeniable. The TikTok ban is yet another example of this historical connection. Texas has chosen to target TikTok because of its country of origin, making the decision inherently xenophobic. The United States in particular has always organized itself around threats. They’re basically using China as almost a scapegoat for the ills within this country … to distract the population from all of the government’s failures,” Mei-Singh said. “So the TikTok ban is just a way for … these politicians to act like they’re actually doing something to enhance the security of peace and well-being of people.” UT’s TikTok ban perpetuates the xenophobia shown in state policy. “It is definitely targeted towards Chinese people whether or not they directly say it,” economics freshman Melinda Wang said. “I think that the way that they worded it could have been a lot better and just to not create such racial tension.” The UT and state policy against TikTok emphasizes the potential threat that a Chinese company poses, when in reality all other social media companies collect data from their users and have the ability to share it with any government they choose. Choosing to target only one social media company because it originated in China is xenophobic. To read full article, click here Photo by Eyestetix Studio and Alexander Williams on Unsplash Legal Disclaimer: INFYNIT is providing the content here for educational purposes only. All opinions are of the original author and not an opinion of INFYNIT or any of its affiliates.