Young people on TikTok are speaking in coded language to prevent political content from being shadow banned. While it’s unclear if protest-related content is intentionally banned or if the “algorithm is just algorithm-ing,” many young users believe TikTok has been “suppressing political content—especially in light of recent ICE raids, detainment camps, and ongoing discussions about threats to democracy.” Some say despite seeing videos of young people talking about protest going on across America, they haven’t actually seen footage of these protests in months. To combat this apparent suppression to more viewers and boost their posts, Gen Z is using the term “music festival” as a substitute for “protest.” One post showing clips of a “Los Angeles Music Festival 2025” with over 319K likes recognizes the potential shadow banning with the caption “you weren’t supposed to see this.” They’re also using these videos to get the word out about specific times and locations for protesting—all while remaining vague “to help protect organizers and spread the word discreetly.” (Her Campus)
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