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A2   UP FRONT
                       Monday 8 april 2024
            Some states are seeking to restrict TikTok. That doesn’t mean their


            governors aren’t using it


            By BROOKE SCHULTZ            But even as the app faces                                                              dates such as Ramaswamy,
            Associated Press/Report for  scrutiny  and  bans,  gover-                                                           due to his young age and
            America                      nors  and  state  agencies                                                             new-generation  agenda,”
            HARRISBURG,  Pa.  (AP)  —  — and even President Joe                                                                 Victoria Carlson, a spokes-
            POV: You’re on TikTok, and  Biden  —  are  still  using  the                                                        person  for  the  George
            so is your governor — even  app to promote their initia-                                                            Washington  University  Col-
            as  your  Legislature  consid-  tives and expand their vot-                                                         lege Republicans, told CBS
            ers  banning  the  app  from  ing pool. Their target is the                                                         News in September.
            state-owned  devices  and  youth  vote,  or  the  people                                                            In  Michigan,  the  app  was
            networks.                    who  largely  make  up  the                                                            banned  in  March  2023
            Efforts  to  ban  TikTok  over  app’s U.S. user base of 170                                                         from  government  devic-
            security  concerns  about  million.                                                                                 es  —  with  certain  excep-
            China’s  influence  through  Pennsylvania  Gov.  Josh                                                               tions, like Democratic Gov.
            the  platform  have  picked  Shapiro,  a  Democrat,  is                                                             Gretchen  Whitmer’s  pro-
            up  steam  in  the  past  year  a  prolific  poster,  with  his                                                     motional  account,  which
            in  state  legislatures,  with  efforts  beginning  on  the                                                         has brought cute dog vid-
            an  expansive  ban  even  campaign  trail  through  a     Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives in Blue Bell, Pa., Friday,   eos,  her  March  Madness
            proposed  by  Congress.  personal account. The first-     Jan. 5, 2024.                            Associated Press   bracket  and  news  about
            In  Pennsylvania,  forward  termer is a rising star in the                                                          her initiatives to her roughly
            movement  on  a  bill  that  Democratic  Party  and  is  His  careful  messaging  ex-  trends,  breaking  down  as-  245,000 followers.
            first  unanimously  passed  among  governors  building  tends  to  his  official  gover-  pects of his budget propos-  In  New  Jersey,  a  govern-
            the  state  Senate  last  year  national  profiles  and  pos-  nor  account  on  TikTok.  All  al, and even taking a dig at  ment-affiliated  app  posts
            could  send  legislation  to  sibly positioning themselves  colored  with  his  priorities  Texas via a Beyoncé song.  jokes  and  memes.  An  ex-
            the Democratic governor’s  for a 2028 run for the White  and  stances,  videos  have  Other  governors  use  TikTok  emption  in  New  Jersey’s
            desk imminently.             House.                       him  participating  in  viral  accounts  —  among  veri-  law  banning  TikTok  from
                                                                                                   fied accounts, only Demo-    government devices allows
                                                                                                   crats — even in states that  for posts from non-state net-
                                                                                                   have banned the app from  works, with permission. Oth-
                                                                                                   state  devices  and  net-    er  government  accounts
                                                                                                   works.                       across  the  country  have
                                                                                                   It  isn’t  surprising  that  politi-  touted  their  state  parks  to
                                                                                                   cians do use TikTok so much,  drive  tourism,  events  and
                                                                                                   said Anupam Chander, vis-    small businesses.
                                                                                                   iting scholar at the Institute  In  Pennsylvania,  you  have
                                                                                                   for Rebooting Social Media  Shapiro  and  his  steaming
                                                                                                   at  Harvard  University.  It’s  ‘Get  S—t  Done’  mug  of
                                                                                                   more  surprising  that  they  tea  —  a  nod  to  his  edgy
                                                                                                   don’t.                       tagline  —  or  slightly  shaky
                                                                                                   Such outreach draws its lin-  footage as he records him-
                                                                                                   eage  to  President  Franklin  self thanking teachers as his
                                                                                                   Roosevelt’s  fireside  chats,  kids  head  back  to  school.
                                                                                                   when        Depression-era  As  a  play  on  the  popu-
                                                                                                   Americans  would  gather  lar  “point  of  view”  videos
                                                                                                   around  the  radio  to  hear  where  creators  set  up  a
                                                                                                   his  voice.  More  recently,  scenario,  Shapiro  makes  a
                                                                                                   social media has been gal-   concerned  face  with  the
                                                                                                   vanized  in  elections,  like  overlaid  text  “POV:  When
                                                                                                   former  President  Barack  extremists  try  to  stop  legal
                                                                                                   Obama  on  Facebook  in  votes from counting.”
                                                                                                   2008,  or  former  President  “The  governor  believes,
                                                                                                   Donald  Trump  on  Twitter,  and this administration be-
                                                                                                   now X, in 2016.              lieves,  that  there  should
                                                                                                   “This  is  an  app  that  can  be  no  wrong  door  to  ac-
                                                                                                   be very personal. You can  cessing  government,”  said
                                                                                                   share your walk to the Sen-  Manuel  Bonder,  Shapiro’s
                                                                                                   ate chambers or your exhil-  spokesperson.
                                                                                                   aration as a vote is passed.  TikTok  is  part  of  that  land-
                                                                                                   Or  your  disappointment  scape, he said. The admin-
                                                                                                   when a vote fails,” he said.  istration has a phone dedi-
                                                                                                   “This is a way to reach peo-  cated  only  to  making  Tik-
                                                                                                   ple in a very personal way.”  Toks, off of state Wi-Fi, with
                                                                                                   Former  GOP  presidential  no other apps on it, Bonder
                                                                                                   candidate  Vivek  Ramas-     said.
                                                                                                   wamy  made  early  and,  A       TikTok   spokesperson
                                                                                                   well,  liberal  use  of  TikTok  wouldn’t  be  quoted  by
                                                                                                   during  his  campaign,  with  name   about   legislation
                                                                                                   one young Republican say-    banning the app.
                                                                                                   ing  his  social  media  pres-  In  2022,  researchers  found
                                                                                                   ence “made him popular.”     more  than  100  accounts
                                                                                                   “A  lot  of  younger  voters  for   those   running   for
                                                                                                   seem  receptive  to  candi-  Congress.q
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