The Banning of Books & TikTok

Ben & Jerry's franchise owners are planning to replicate the recently opened "Banned Book Nook" in their Melbourne, Fla., store at two other locations.

Steven Chubbuck

There has been a rise in the number of books banned in the United States. Like myself, many others think the censorship of literature violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, thinking, and the right to access knowledge. Banning certain literature was just the beginning, but now it has trickled to social media platforms like Tiktok, where young people as myself have a broader, uncensored access to knowledge. The platform is used to educate, discuss, and learn. There should be an uprise of concern because a country that prides itself in freedom has just revoked access and knowledge. The current censorship environment makes me wonder: Are we moving toward a civilization similar to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, where it is commonplace to repress ideas and knowledge?

Book Bans in America

Book banning is not a new trend in the U.S., but recently there has been an increase in efforts to suppress literature that covers topics like race, gender, LGBTQ+ issues, and political issues that go against whatever they want the narrative to be. According to the American Library Association (ALA), the number of book bans has reached alarming heights, with over 1,500 books challenged in 2022 alone. Books such as “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, and “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe have been targeted. They claim it is to protect children from inappropriate content.

Supporters of the book bans argue that certain ideas or topics should be kept out of schools and libraries. However, this just seems like a cover up to control the narratives young people are exposed to. Restricting access to these said books prevent young people from exercising their minds and lensing diverse perspectives and learning about different pathways of human experience. Life is not a one size fits all and it’s important to see the differences.

Banning the Clock App

While book banning has a long history, a more recent trend that is about to be reality is the ban of TikTok in the United States. The government has claimed national security concerns over the platform’s ties to China. To me it seems like censorship and control of the widespread of knowledge and information. TikTok has become a place where people can express themselves and educate.

Many people claim that they learn a vast amount of information from the app, especially from international friends. People claim the app creates a safe space to express themselves, learn about political and social issues globally, and find educational content that might not be available or unbiased through other sources. Banning TikTok is an attack on people’s right to freely access and share information in a way that contrasts and might go against traditional media. Like banning books, the possible ban on TikTok is an avenue to control what people can see and hear. While book banning regulates what students and readers could get from libraries and schools, TikTok, under a ban, limits ways through which youths are able to partake in any global discourse.

The uprise of people wanting to fight for TikTok is much deeper. Dive deep. The fight for intellectual freedom is not a question of saving pop culture, gay rights, or any other kind of books or social media. It’s really about keeping a democracy where everybody gets the information they need to study and expand their minds and ideas on many different topics. It starts with literature, then social media, what is going to be next?. It restricts access to creativity, self-expression, and new forms of education.

The Comparison to Fahrenheit 451

In Fahrenheit 451, the setting is a dystopian future where books are banned, and firefighters have to burn every book they find. (Off topic but they are probably going to use prisoners as cheap labor to execute this job like the LA fires). This society does not allow people to think deeply, be creative, or be themselves.

The fear of censorship lies in the idea that by restricting access to knowledge, such as banning books, silencing social media, or limiting school curricula. In that we risk creating a society that is uninformed and incapable of critical thinking. In Fahrenheit 451, the act of burning books strips away intellectual freedom and the opportunity for personal growth. Likewise, banning books and silencing platforms like TikTok hinders our ability to question ideas and learn independently.

The prohibition of books and potential restrictions on apps like TikTok represent a move toward a real-world society that, unlike the one depicted in Fahrenheit 451, discourages people from confronting difficult truths rather than engaging in critical thought.

The Struggle for Access to Education

Another aspect of intellectual freedom involves access to education. While the United States leads the world in most fields, it remains one of the few first-world nations not to offer free college education to its citizens. Countries like Germany, Norway, and Finland have free or much cheaper higher education because they want everybody, no matter how much money they have, to be able to learn, grow, and question ideas without money getting in the way. These countries know that education is a basic right, not something special for a few.

In contrast, in the U.S., cost of higher education increases every year, leaving many students with debt and limiting access to educational resources. This then creates a system where only those who can afford it have the freedom to fully explore knowledge and ideas that everyone should have the right to. Without free access to education, at the post-graduate level, only certain voices, minds, and ideas are given light, and others are silenced, ignored, or limited.

The Bigger Picture: Censorship and Control

A pattern is beginning to surface. First it’s through the banning of books, then TikTok, there’s already a struggle for access to post secondary education. The pattern is control. The government wants to control what people read, watch, or learn and they don’t like when it’s from stories that aren’t controlled. It’s just one way to hold power that seeks to suppress and limit education.

It is literally the duty of each member of society to protect those rights and make sure there isn’t a controller on knowledge . Any form of censorship, whether through the banning of books, controlling social media outlets, or limiting access to education, is a menace to democracy. Just as Fahrenheit 451 served as a warning against the evils of censorship, so too does the banning of books and now the possible TikTok ban. This alone should provoke our minds to think and we must always be ready to actively defend our right to think and express freely.

The fight for intellectual freedom is not only about protecting books or social media sites; it’s about guaranteeing everyone has access to knowledge. It begins with literature, then moves to social media; what will come next?