Musk calls UK government ‘tyrannical’ and TikTok could leave the US: is global culture going regional again?

A swath of elections in 2024 have paved the way for regulatory changes in the social media sphere, with talk of bans and restrictions meeting the governmental meddling of CEOs like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. 

It has not been a quiet start to 2025, with Musk taking to his social platform X to criticise the UK government – which has not been a fan of his since the Southport riots last year. TikTok’s final Supreme Court hearing is on Friday, in advance of its potential US ban on January 19. 

Despite the chaos, however, bigger trends are emerging. Namely a shift to regional platforms, in opposition to the global stages that dominated the 2020s and first half of the 2020s. 

 Social media shifts from global back to local 

The 2010s saw a boom of global platforms for global stars, with regional differences seeming to fade as a unified internet culture took to the fore. However, fragmentation has begun to show at the cultural level, with online niches taking the place of formerly geographical distinctions. Yet it appears that geography may be coming back into play, as new regulations meet fierce commercial competition on the digital stage. 

Increased concerns over democratic processes, mental health, and civic unrest have prompted regulatory bodies in the UK and EU to prick their ears, with the UK’s OfCom recently finding that social platforms were not meeting their legal obligations to protect users. Musk’s recent posts to X calling the UK government ‘tyrannical’ perhaps have less to do with his political leanings, and more with his business interests: if he calls the government ‘tyrannical’, and then it bans his platform, it certainly seems to prove him right. The UK’s Labour government is facing some pushback domestically, so Musk’s words could deter them from making moves against his platform anytime soon. 

After X was banned in Brazil, competitor Bluesky saw significant uptick, specifically in other Latin American and Portuguese-speaking markets. A ban in the UK and / or EU could see similar gains for a more regional competitor. Audiences are looking for better content curation and connection with each other; algorithms can only contend with such demands by personalising to the point of isolated content experiences, whereas social was originally all about community. Audiences have a broad variety of content preferences; apps that specialise on these lines have difficulty gaining traction. However, apps that are more specific to populations that share language and cultural background will have a smaller pool of users more likely to know each other – and can still meet a variety of content needs.

The Bluesky example could quickly see a follow-up with TikTok, should it be banned in the US. South America is one of the biggest trendsetters in culture right now, especially for music. If TikTok leaves the US, it could double down on the growth potential in the markets there instead.

A regionally fragmented marketplace 

Asia Pacific has its own set of apps, like WeChat and Douyin. South America trends towards YouTube for entertainment over streaming options like Spotify, and has seen regional shifts to Bluesky over competitors like X or Threads.The US looks set to be very anti-regulation for its tech platforms in the coming presidential term; platforms there may not export as well to markets in Europe moving forward, especially considering their growing public skepticism. If these regulatory hints come to fruition, we could see a very different market in just a  few months than we do today. One where South America relies on Bluesky, TikTok, and YouTube; the US uses Instagram and X; and Europe shifts towards new alternatives. 

Nichification is not new – but the reintroduction of geographical boundaries may be coming back into the picture.