Joe Rogan explains why TikTok in China is ‘better’ than the US
YouTube: Joe RoganJoe Rogan is convinced Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is ‘better’ than the US version, explaining its community and restrictions “encourage achievement” compared to the Western app.
Rogan isn’t the biggest fan of social media. In January 2021, the podcast host and comedian admitted he’s worried about censorship, explaining that it “sets a precedent where the people in power can decide that something is wrong”.
A year earlier, in January 2020, he called out TikTok specifically for being a “cyber threat.” However, he believes that the Chinese version of the app, and the way it’s used, is much ‘better’ than its US counterpart.
TikTok“The way China is handling it is so different than America,” said Rogan. “China’s version of TikTok celebrates academic achievements and athletic achievements. It’s all science projects. All these different fascinating things.”
What makes it even more impressive, in his view, is the fact that it has a ‘youth mode.’ It’s a feature that limits people under 14 from using the app for more than 40 minutes per day, and the shut-off time is 10pm.
He believes this is a good thing. “They’re trying to encourage achievement, right? They’re doing all these things with like this idea of engineering a society of more accomplished, more successful people.”
In contrast, he lamented over how it’s used in the United States. “What are we doing on TikTok?” he scoffed. “Kids are f**king dancing. They’re screaming about veganism and how blue their hair is. It’s wild.”
Rogan isn’t a fan of the way TikTok is used in the US. So, he’s probably out of the loop when it comes to who the most followed stars are.
However, he’s far more enthusiastic about YouTube. He praised MrBeast for having a “great show” and claimed that his approach to content creation, which revolves around high-stakes challenges and philanthropy, is “smart”.