August 27, 2024
KATHMANDU – TikTok, a widely popular social media app, is set to come back to the Nepali market after the KP Sharma Oli-led government decided to lift a ban imposed by the previous government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The then government had raised moral concerns about the app, but now Oli wants to run it with considerable regulatory changes, which will take some time. Even though TikTok was often used to incite communal emotions and spread vulgarity, many took an outright ban as a violation of self-expression and free speech and cited that the app also had positive sides. Therefore, the incumbent government’s decision can be seen as a win-win situation in terms of freedom of expression and the need to demarcate the limits of freedom.
For it to be able to resume its operations, TikTok is now mandated to fulfil certain conditions, such as promoting Nepal’s tourism, investing in digital literacy, uplifting Nepal’s public education system and keeping a watch on the content used on the site. According to data before the ban, the app housed around 2.2 million users nationwide, accounting for nearly 40 percent of bandwidth consumption. Having faced revenue loss for months, the social media site seems to have agreed to abide by the government’s directives about its fair use.
Now that there will finally be a regulatory directive to handle TikTok, the government should focus on successfully implementing it. The world of social media is quite tricky, as anyone from anywhere can flout the rules and continue misusing them from the backstage. People kept running the app right under the government’s nose using virtual private networks (VPN). How the newly agreed-upon terms of engagement between the social media site and the Nepali government come into effect will be for us all to see in the near future.
Being arguably the most misused social media app for causing social unrest, TikTok became the only site banned by the government. However, the concerns raised during its ban apply to other social media apps as well, not least Facebook, X and Instagram, with 10.58 million, 4.66 million and 3.60 million users, respectively. These apps continue to be sites of misogyny, racism, casteism and misinformation, among other concerns of discrimination and discord. But they have also offered many opportunities to voice their opinions and make themselves heard. They have provided youth with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, not least in Nepal, where we have a vibrant community of social media influencers, celebrities and entrepreneurs.
Banning TikTok, or any other medium of expression for that matter, is never a solution, and the current government seems to have realised it. But it should remain vigilant not to let any such social media site become a tool of misuse, exploitation and social discord. The general public should also be sensitised about how grave an impact their irrational behaviours can have in a country like ours which values mutual trust, cooperation as well as religious harmony. There is no other option but to follow the regulations.