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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student news organization since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

A magnifying glass zooms in on the TikTok logo, which is marked with a red X. The strongly opposed legislation aimed at prohibiting foreign adversary controlled applications would prove beneficial to national security. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | Northern Star Graphic)

TikTok regulation beneficial to national security

By Will Thiel, Opinion Columnist | April 16, 2024

TikTok is captivating our generation and keeping us fixated on our phones. Our private information is at risk of exposure to external threats from China, yet students appear to be largely indifferent to the potential dangers.  If we don’t exercise...

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during the March 23 Congress hearing on TikToks safety for children. TikTok is facing bans across the country such as a recent ban in Utah.

TikTok CEO’s heated debate with Congress

By Sarah Rose, Assistant Lifestyle Editor | April 4, 2023

On March 23, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sat before one of the most bipartisan committees Congress has seen.  Chew testified for four and a half hours in front of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, answering aggressive questions. Chew became...

The TikTok logo on a phone screen with other apps around it.

AI presidents invade TikTok

By Anika Haley, Lifestyle Writer | March 30, 2023

“You guys down for some Mario Kart?” says the voice of Donald Trump. “Bet. I’ll be Yoshi,” responds the voice of Joe Biden. Content creators on TikTok have been using artificial intelligence programming to replicate the voices of public...

The TikTok logo on a phone screen with other apps around it.

TikTok’s potential U.S. ban: What we know

By Sarah Rose, Assistant Lifestyle Editor | February 28, 2023

TikTok was the most consumed social media app in 2022, according to Statista, and its population of users keeps on growing into the millions. Due to security speculations, America may have to wish their most beloved app goodbye. Those who have been...

An NIU student takes a break from homework to watch some TikTok videos.

OPINION: TikTok is overrated

By Parker Otto | February 4, 2022
Tiktok is a new sensational app, but it is bound to go out of style.
Movie cases line up on a dusty shelf in a college apartment. Physical copies have gone ancient due to streaming services taking off.

Modernity has erased the physical concept of art

By Parker Otto | January 24, 2022
Generation Z, in spite of all of their technological toys, has no things.
A photograph of Darryl Postelnick outside of his house where some of his cooking videos are filmed.

NIU alumnus finds TikTok fame through food

By Madelaine Vikse, Editor-in-Chief | January 23, 2022

NIU alumnus Darryl Postelnick has been gaining attention by grilling up views on TikTok and has 2.1 million followers on the platform.  Postelnick graduated from NIU in 1987 with a major in marketing and a minor in psychology.  “I started (cooking)...

SHEIN, an online store, has recently become a main source of fast fashion as it is heavily promoted across social media platforms through SHEIN Hauls.

Fast fashion is harmful to both environment and mental health

By Summer Fitzgerald | December 27, 2021
Fast fashion is an irresponsible industry that exploits consumers, workers and the environment. Even though it may all look glamorous on social media, it is not worth your money or mental health. 

TikTok working with Chinese government to monitor user data causes privacy concern

By Jack Baudoin | January 21, 2020

With billions of people using social media, concerns regarding user security should be higher now than ever before. Social media is more popular than it has ever been, with 3.8 billion people using it in 2019, according to a Nov. 6 article by TheNextWeb.TikTok...