It’s the beginning of 2025, and TikTok is still going strong in the U.S. despite the brief confusion of January 19.
Following the lifting of the U.S. TikTok ban (if only temporarily), the app has made a strong comeback on both the App Store and Google Play Store. There are, however, still several legal battles and policy debates to come, and the outcome remains to be seen.
In the meantime, TikTok shows no signs of slowing down, gaining users daily.
TikTok in 2025
Over the years, TikTok has gone from a dance and viral trend platform (cat videos, anyone?) to an influencer heaven.
But, in 2025, the tables have turned. As unlikely as it would have seemed as recently as a year ago, TikTok has become an undeniable platform for journalism and independent opinions.
You won’t find a rigid news anchor on TikTok; if you do, you probably won’t want to listen to what they say. Instead, your breaking news will likely come from a 20-year-old with a smartphone who happened to be at the right place at the right time.
This alone shows how a space created for entertainment has become a platform for highlighting facts. Independent voices on TikTok challenge the mainstream narratives in ways never seen before.
How Much of an Impact Does TikTok Have?
TikTok also goes beyond delivering news in various ways. It determines how we interact with the information we get. When you watch the news on TV, you do so passively. There is not much else you can do anyway.
When you catch a breaking story on TikTok, you can interact with it, creating your own experience. You can also fact-check instantly to ensure you get truthful information.
Breaking News in Real Time
One of the most recent news stories taking over the platform is the legal battle between actress Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Like the intense Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial from a few years back, the Baldoni-Lively case has caused a TikTok and social media frenzy.
Because so much information remains shrouded, TikTokers have taken it upon themselves to dissect all legal proceedings, past interviews, and social media posts by both parties.
Baldoni has recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively for those unfamiliar with the case. He alleges that a calculated smear campaign was launched against him at least seven weeks before Lively filed her original complaint.
Lively originally accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and emotional distress, which has allegedly cost the director millions of dollars and at least three jobs.
Many more details exist, but the basics have already ignited a debate storm on TikTok. Users are split on who they should believe and why.
At the same time, this unpleasant case is also a case study on how TikTok users are no longer just reading news but actively uncovering the facts behind it.
A New Age of Fact-Checking
Fact-checking used to be the job of professional journalists. You still see them doing it on big TV news channels like CNN. But, nowadays, TikTokers, without formal journalism training, play an even bigger role in verifying information.
This phenomenon became evident in high-profile cases and political controversies, including the Heard-Depp case.
TikTok creators are dissecting legal documents made available on the platform. They successfully highlight inconsistencies in public statements and compile their digital evidence.
For example, the discovery of source code, HTML, and URL data allegedly proves the smear campaign against Baldoni started making the rounds seven weeks before Lively filed her complaint.
This resulted in a showdown between Lively, Baldoni, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times about contested HTML metadata.
Baldoni amended his lawsuit, accusing The Times of having access to Lively’s complaint around 11 days before its much-discussed article that appeared on December 21.
The metadata allegedly shows that the newspaper had started working on this article weeks before Lively’s complaint was filed. Baldoni also accused the Times of working with Lively to damage his reputation.
This alone shows how much gravity digital investigations can hold. They now influence real-world events in Hollywood or politics by highlighting what others don’t want to be made known.
Moreover, TikTok allows people to change their minds and perceptions of a story as they get more real-time information.
TikTok Is Just Getting Started
It almost seems that TikTok was always meant to be what it is now. Platforms supporting TikTok, like the hugely popular Celebian, have been around for a long time and continue to highlight the social media platform's impact on real-life events.
According to Celebian, 14% of U.S. adults now use TikTok as a primary news source. This is a significant increase from a mere 3% back in 2020.
The surge in news-hungry TikTokers is more pronounced among younger audiences. Around 32% of users aged 18 to 29 regularly get their news from the platform.
News Trend Indicates a Broader Shift
The TikTok news trend is more than just a new fad. It underlines a major shift away from traditional news consumption. It also indicates that people are moving away from traditional news channels. They would rather get their news where they get their entertainment.
Furthermore, TikTok’s highly intuitive algorithm brings the news to the people, so to speak. This increases engagement and gives content creators more freedom to share their perspectives with the right audiences.
TikTok Keeps Moving Beyond Entertainment
In addition to news, TikTokers also use the platform as a search engine. 41% of users search for information on several topics using the app. For example, 36% look for new recipes, while 35% look for new music. 34% of users want new and unique DIY tips they know they can only find on TikTok.
These statistics show that TikTok is a place where you can find news, lifestyle content, and diverse opinions. It caters to its widely diverse user base this way.
The fact that content creation has been democratized and that spreading information has empowered independent voices means more people can be reached than ever before.
It is also true that as more users turn to TikTok (inevitably), traditional media outlets will have to adapt their approach. They will have to find ways to embrace the personalized nature of content consumption if they want to be relevant even five years from now.