During a time where technology giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are front row of the inauguration, it’s important to disconnect from short-form content and to engage with art.

On Jan. 19, TikTok was temporarily banned from the United States over speculation that government officials from China were collecting data to influence American users’ opinions by escalating or suppressing certain content.

When the ban went into effect, every American user got a pop-up message explaining that TikTok was banned in the U.S., but the last part of the message made me scoff: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” 

Giving Trump the credit for saving TikTok only proves to be a stunt created to win the younger generation’s attention. In the U.S., there are 170 million active TikTok users, 63% are ages 13-17 and 59% are ages 18-30. 

TikTok has become astronomically more popular than Instagram and other social media platforms because of their dedication to providing users with easy access to tools to create content while getting extra money on the side and their creation of a sophisticated algorithm that gears your content to your liking just by double tapping your screen or leaving a comment. 

I have been using TikTok since back in the day when it was called “Musical.ly,” and as an alternative Latina it opened me to new communities where I can find other creators who look like me and share similar interests to me. 

This algorithm is highly addicting; there were days where I’d sit and scroll through my For You Page for hours at a time, distracting myself from schoolwork and home responsibilities. 

Politicians understand the grip of power that TikTok holds, with trends like “Brat Summer” being utilized by Kamala Harris’ PR team on TikTok. Trump knows this as well. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have an account with 15.1 million followers. 

Once TikTok came back online, I made the decision to not use the platform anymore. During the first hours, out of habit my finger would press the TikTok button, but I would immediately swipe it closed. 

The feelings of hopelessness and sadness started to get to me this past January. How can I amplify my voice to be heard if the social media we have access to suppresses our voices? How can we get control back from these powerful forces without violence? 

In order to dig myself out of this pit of despair, I doodled. I was able to fill up six pages with ideas and thoughts. These pages are messy, a mixture of imagery, cursive and a sense of chaos for who I am. 

As an artist, this is the way I can express myself when I can’t find the exact words or my feelings are too extreme and I have to let them out. Art transcends language by bringing us together to share our stories and have our voices heard. 

Creating art doesn’t have to just be drawing on a piece of paper or have a deep, complex meaning. Art can be dancing to your favorite music in your room, cooking your favorite meals, reading a book, taking a walk with friends, dressing up for the day or playing sports. 

Embrace the freedom of discovering new forms of techniques, processes and knowledge. Be the voice for others who cannot speak for themselves or fear the consequences. 

Make art. The way we break our system is by uniting together to create a community where everyone’s voices can be heard. To the younger generation, we don’t need TikTok or Instagram reels to pass the time; we must focus and create a future where we all belong.