America's crackdown on TikTok might just be a way for lawmakers to look good on camera, but that doesn't mean a potential ban of the app nationwide is just for show ... so says Taylor Lorenz.
The Washington Post's top tech reporter joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, giving us her thoughts about the current hearings about the app's ties to China ... as TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew gets grilled by congressmen at Capitol Hill.
She says it seems like a lot of the lawmakers are dragging Chew to get some viral traction, ironically enough ... adding there's a bigger point to be made about social media as a whole, but strangely the blame is just put on TikTok -- pointing to Facebook, for example.
That being said, Taylor is still taking these hearings seriously ... and she tells us why it could all still come crumbling down.
Taylor might not think politicians are willing to put their reputations on the line for TikTok, but we got NY Rep. Jamaal Bowman in D.C. Wednesday, and he told us why he's still supporting the platform. He also echoed Taylor's thoughts about the bigger picture when it comes to social media.