A new trend has emerged on the popular social media platform, TikTok, causing a stir among Americans. The trend involves young Americans sharing videos that express sympathy for Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America,” a document critiquing the United States.
What Happened: A report by CNN Business highlighted that the letter, first published in 2002, began to circulate on TikTok this week. Videos supporting some of Bin Laden’s views and encouraging users to read the letter have garnered over 14 million views as of Thursday.
TikTok reacted on Thursday, stating that videos promoting the letter breach its rules against “supporting any form of terrorism.” However, the social media giant did not provide specific data to support this statement.
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The controversial videos were primarily shared with the hashtag #lettertoamerica.
The White House strongly criticized this online trend, claiming it insults the families still mourning the loss of their loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, blasted TikTok for incentivizing high engagement at any cost, regardless of whether the content promotes hate, disinformation, or positivity.
Why It Matters: Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” is a comprehensive critique of American foreign policy, specifically the US’s support for Israel. Despite being removed from The Guardian’s website, the original publisher of the translated copy, the letter is still available online and is being shared by TikTok users.
The recent Pew Research Center report indicates that TikTok is increasingly becoming a platform where young Americans get their news. Approximately a third of Americans aged 18-29 regularly get their news from TikTok.
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Image source – Shutterstock
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