Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

We need a TikTok president

TikTok
DeFodi Images News/Getty Images

Thiele Strong is a sociology professor at San José State University a public voices fellow at the The OpEd Project.

The United States is quickly approaching a presidential election that no one is jazzed about. The incumbent’s approval rating is substantially lower than his disapproval rating. And the biggest contender for his opposition, who just won the Iowa caucuses, is a habitual liar facing 91 felony charges and who will be remembered for inciting an insurrection, introducing alternative facts and calling social activists public enemies. Both are elite, cishet white men who would be president in their eighties if they were to win the election.

Even in a deeply polarized society, many can agree that the candidates are abysmal. This lackluster slate does not reflect who we are as a nation. We are full of accomplishments, innovation, creativity and development. Aren’t we worthy of a leader who reflects the magnitude of our potential?

Let’s allow TikTok to provide democracy to a nation that deeply deserves it and has not tasted it in some time. As social media content creators delve into New Year's resolutions, intentions and directions, I urge us to vision board and act now to find a politically viable presidential candidate.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter


We do not want 2024 to follow the current political path. We are the so-called leaders of the developed world, so we should be thrilled with our political candidates.

There’s someone who is burning for the chance to be heard and taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Someone who does not have massive campaign financing, who does not have the support of the mega donors, who is not a D.C. staple and yet who feels the time is right for them to listen and lead.

This is not only a pipedream. As a sociologist who teaches and researches social class and stratification, I know that we have more to gain from solidarity than from division. Solidarity is a sustainability resource. Sociologists have long forecasted that capitalism run amok would enter the next stage of its evolution when the masses were given the means and the tools to unite on their political behalf. Through social media we have a non-violent, cost-effective solution to tap into our collective wealth to provide a sustainable political future.

We have always had the numbers. There have always been more members of the working classes than there have been of the corporate, economic and political elites. But the socio-economically and politically powerful corporate elites work together. They meet and party together. And sometimes, they are incredibly irresponsible.

We, with social media as our tool, can do better.

It is important that we work to take control of our government for the people, by the people, before the billionaires get more deeply entrenched into our politics. Our political system has long been a bastion of power for people who have money. We have had millionaires in politics, now we have billionaires with unmatched resources. In the 2016 election, “The Great Hack” showed, those who supported Trump used their money to target so-called “persuadables” – swing voters in swing counties of swing states – with psychological warfare in order to shape politics. Their candidate, the political nihilist, won.

For decades, the media has bonded and shaped us. For example, in the early 2000s we saw Madonna and Britney kiss. During the pandemic, it was Nathan Apodaca, Fleetwood Mac and cranberry juice on Tiktok.

We love our TikTok, an opiate of the masses by the masses. They want to take it. Let’s give those in power another reason to be wary of the power of TikTok. Let’s use it to find a 2024 presidential candidate worthy of the powerful position.

This will not work if we promote someone who is not capable of the job. As a reminder, the Constitution requires that a presidential candidate: be 35 years or older, be a natural born citizen and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. Based on these criteria, many people qualify.

Recently, there have been calls for humanities and artists to get into politics. We also need social scientists to get into politics. We need people who are capable of integrity, organization, mediation and de-escalation. Scan your screens and your consciousness and come up with someone in your networks who you think can go viral for a presidential candidacy.

It’s the 2024 TikTok challenge: #swaythepresidentialplay

To be sure, TikTok challenges are not known for their promotion of social well-being. Instead, they have been linked to teenage endangerment and risky behavior. Elites will say that we cannot elect a candidate from TikTok. But this is not the first time TikTok has entered politics. Remember twhen TikTok teens and K-pop stans falsely registered for Donald Trump’s campaign event? We can use TikTok to find eligible people who can rule a nation.

America has the potential to be great, and greatness is never achieved by electing government officials through a classist, racist, sexist and outdated system. Amazing things have come from Tiktok – let’s add another tick to that list.

In past years, celebrities have called for us to rock the vote. Now, let us TikTok the vote.

Read More

An AI Spark Worth Spreading

People working with AI technology.

Getty Images, Maskot

An AI Spark Worth Spreading

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, policymakers face a delicate balancing act: fostering innovation while addressing legitimate concerns about AI's potential impacts. Representative Michael Keaton’s proposed HB 1833, also known as the Spark Act, represents a refreshing approach to this challenge—one that Washington legislators would be right to pass and other states would be wise to consider.

As the AI Innovation and Law Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, I find the Spark Act particularly promising. By establishing a grant program through the Department of Commerce to promote innovative uses of AI, Washington's legislators have a chance to act on a fundamental truth: technological diffusion is essential to a dynamic economy, widespread access to opportunity, and the inspiration of future innovation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump’s Gambit: Trade Tariff Relief For a TikTok Sale

TikTok icon on a phone.

Getty Images, 5./15 WEST

Trump’s Gambit: Trade Tariff Relief For a TikTok Sale

You know things aren’t going well in the negotiations for the U.S. operations of TikTok when President Trump has to bribe the Chinese government with billions in tariff relief.

But that’s exactly what was reported out of the White House. President Trump is willing to give the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) billions in tariff relief if they pressured TikTok to sell its U.S. operations before the April 5th deadline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Who gets to ask questions at the White House?

WASHINGTON, DC, USA –– White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answers questions from journalists on Jan. 28, 2025.

(Joshua Sukoff/Medill News Service)

Who gets to ask questions at the White House?

WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration increasingly welcomes vloggers and social media influencers into press briefings and the Oval Office, established outlets like the Associated Press find themselves excluded from the century-old press pool, sparking controversy about what "transparency" truly means.

Watch the video report here:

Keep ReadingShow less
Lost Sams and Missing Fei-Feis: Why America Needs AI Guides Now

Students studying robotics.

Getty Images, eyesfoto

Lost Sams and Missing Fei-Feis: Why America Needs AI Guides Now

In 2018, Economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues revealed a sobering truth: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Their research on "Lost Einsteins" demonstrated that countless young Americans with the potential to be great inventors never get the chance to develop their skills simply because they lack exposure to innovation and mentorship. The data was clear: if a child grows up in an area with a high concentration of inventors, they are far more likely to become one themselves. But for too many, particularly those in rural and lower-income communities, the door to innovation remains closed. Failure to find those “Lost Einsteins” has deprived us all of a better future. Chetty forecasted that "if women, minorities, and children from low-income families were to invent at the same rate as white men from high-income (top 20%) families, the rate of innovation in America would quadruple." That’s a more prosperous, dynamic America.

The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) carries the promise of realizing that brighter future if we learn from our prior mistakes. A lack of broad exposure among our youth to AI and the individuals shaping its development threatens to leave behind an entire generation of would-be entrepreneurs, scholars, and thought leaders. We risk creating "Lost Sams"—referring to OpenAI's Sam Altman as a stand-in for AI innovators—and "Missing Fei-Feis"—a nod to Stanford AI researcher Fei-Fei Li. Without urgent action, we will reinforce the existing gaps in AI leadership, limiting who gets to shape the future of this transformative technology.

Keep ReadingShow less