TikTok o Tictac - Saravia Frías ENG

In the XIV century, TOMAS HOBBES established the intellectual foundations of the Modern State.

Today, his ideas are more relevant than ever: the author of Leviathan coined the phrase "autoritas non veritas facit legem" ("authority, not truth, makes the law"), which may be the best synthesis of how public opinion is shaped in our time.

The principle of post -truth prevails . What matters is not so much what is, but what one wants it to be. There are no facts, only beliefs, fueled by dubious claims to authority, most often unscientific and lacking any empirical evidence , shaped by the algorithms of platforms and social networks.

During this major transformation, a case before the United States Supreme Court could become a turning point: the Court must decide whether the platform TIKTOK can refuse to comply with a law requiring it to sell the company operating in the country to another shareholder (currently BYTEDANCE, a Chinese company) or whether it must choose to dissolve.

There are several issues at stake that, it goes without saying, have far -reaching effects worldwide. Argentina's isolation has often been more than just economic; we find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle. The shallow nature of our political agenda, fue led by social networks, keeps us focused on short-term issues, causing us to lose sight of major global changes. This is one of them.

Two constitutional principles are at stake. On one side, a platform with over 170 million users uploading short videos each month invokes freedom of expression. On the other, the State argues national security, essentially the risk that another State, China, could use the platform to spread false or harmful information against its national interests.

The old concept of sovereignty, developed by HOBBES in the XVI century, is more relevant than ever. This is particularly striking in a country where the political force that has just won the elections counts among its key mentors the individual who purchased the TWITTER platform, renamed it X, and removed controls and restrictions on user expression.

It is, in essence, a multi -layered paradox that reveals the typical contradictions of modern populisms: freedom of expression, as long as it serves one's own purposes, particularly electoral ones; and sovereignty, only until freedom of expression imposes l imits on power through critical discourse.

This perhaps explains why the President -elect of the United States, who was once one of the fiercest advocates for banning TIKTOK, has now made a symbolic shift, positioning himself among its defenders. Meanwhile, the company has until January 18th to comply or secure a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lessons for Argentina. In a geopolitical scenario that begins to polarize, it is like watching a preview of events to come. In a country where the debate over the Supreme Court is reduced to a crude power struggle for seats, with little regard for institutional depth, this case highlights its significance and everything at stake.

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© January 10th, 2025