Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently highlighted the problems regarding the prohibition of a Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok in the United States, yet giving a nod to the eventual take-over of Facebook by Meta. President Trump considers that the prohibition of TikTok for Facebook may expand the range of Facebook and Facebook control on social media in other ways.

Enabling Meta to Conquer Through TikTok ban

Trump reverses the coin, stating that banning TikTok leaves the social media field open and attracts people to other popular platform, such as Facebook. Eliminating rivalry from TikTok may direct the new audience to Facebook which can then increase the participation from the users it had and therefore may enable Facebook to be a dominant player in the marketplace. This goes to show Trump's kind of fear about what bad-intended effects the TikTok ban may bring Meta, which is the holding company of Facebook, and may turn them more beneficiary.

National Security Concerns vs. Market Dynamics

Nevertheless, Trump has pointed out the understandable limitations of national security and privacy factors related to the ownership of TikTok by Chinese companies, but he has paid special attention to the mass market problems posed by the prohibition. Trump clearly understands the dangers that TikTok's links to the Chinese government and the possibility of following their data passing to the Beijing government can pose. Then he prioritizes the view that the empowerment of Meta through its TikTok ban will result in an imbalance in the social media sphere which may negatively affect market competition and choice for the consumers.

Conclusion

Donald Trump pointing at the TikTok ban would have strengthened his fears of the wider implications of such a decision. Trump points out that the national security of the US may be endangered if TikTok's Chinese ownership is not challenged. However, by banning the platform, the position of Facebook may actually be strengthened and thus result in a more dominant Facebook in the social media marketplace. Trump’s worldview provides a sharp picture of a highly interconnected system as the national security, technology market, and competition are tightly interwoven.