I Miss The Old TikTok
ICYMI
Slate Podcasts
3.9 • 800 Ratings
🗓️ 31 January 2026
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by writer Laura Wheatman Hill. Her Slate piece, “We Should Just Let TikTok Die,” documents life under TikTok’s new ownership. Algorithm glitches and alleged censorship have users disenchanted with the platform, which is now in the hands of owners friendly to Donald Trump. Some prominent users have already deleted the app, but even if people stay, the old TikTok—with its personalized algorithm and thriving culture—is already dead.
This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay, with help from A.C. Valdez.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, I'm Kate Lindsay, and you're listening to I-C-Y-M-I, or in case you missed it, |
| 0:19.2 | Slate's podcast about internet culture. |
| 0:21.9 | Today I am joined by writer Laura Wheatman Hill. Welcome, Laura. Hi, thanks for having me. |
| 0:28.1 | Laura, we have you here today because you recently wrote a piece for Slate. It is called |
| 0:32.5 | We Should Just Let TikTok Die. That is in reference to the fact that TikTok is now in new ownership. |
| 0:39.5 | And those owners are Trump allies, which has a lot of people concerned. We are going to talk |
| 0:43.8 | about what that means and how people are reacting a bit later. But first, we have to ask you the |
| 0:48.1 | big I see why my question. What was your first internet memory? |
| 0:56.8 | Okay, so I grew up in the Bay Area and my dad worked for information security in Silicon Valley. |
| 1:04.0 | So we had internet, you know, pretty early. |
| 1:06.1 | So my first memory and I brought a prop is that noise. It's that router noise. Oh, yes. Yes. So my kid has the American girl doll that's born in 1989, and it came with a computer. Oh, my God. Okay, so it makes – I would not want to make this noise with my voice because it's so annoying, but let's see if it'll make it. |
| 1:27.7 | I'd love if you try it, but I'm so ready because it's going to send me in like a sleeper activation thing. |
| 1:31.8 | Yeah. |
| 1:32.8 | Do you hear it? |
| 1:34.0 | Yes. |
| 1:38.0 | Oh, my God. |
| 1:39.8 | So, yeah, so that noise coming from my dad's office. |
| 1:43.9 | Oh, my gosh. Coming with audio from my dad's office. Oh, my gosh. |
| 1:45.0 | Coming with audio props is like next level. |
| 1:48.5 | And such a, I mean, I love that American Girl doll. |
| 1:52.3 | Where did you get that? |
| 1:53.7 | I mean, it's one of their historical American Girl dolls. |
... |
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