On Thursday, September 19, the social media giant TikTok donated 10,000 dollars to the Garfield PTSA, along with two other Seattle area high schools, Sammamish and Franklin. The donation came along with a big event complete with photographers and company representatives. The spokespeople presented a comically large check to Dr. Hart and members of the PTSA. These donations were part of a partnership between the national PTA and TikTok. Mark Lovre, the language art department chair at Garfield, added that the entire event was “highly produced,” and that “[Tiktok] brought photographers… [and] there were giant decorative balloons.” According to Jamie Rees, an academic intervention specialist at Garfield, the goal of this partnership is to “educate families about safety on the app” and also to ensure that “PTA and families have a seat at the table with one of the largest platforms/tech companies currently used by teens and families” Along with the check, all Garfield teachers received a swag bag from Tiktok shop containing a variety of items ranging from off-brand wireless headphones to a refreshing korean face scrub.
Many teachers who received these gifts have harbored doubts regarding Tiktok’s motivations behind this donation. “10,000 dollars to them is nothing,”Rees said. Rees added that the whole situation seemed like an attempt by Tiktok to wash its reputation, especially since the company currently has a bill pending in Congress that aims to restrict usage of Tiktok. “This goes back to oil companies… going before Congress and saying we have no idea if our stuff is addictive or not… then having advertising and community efforts,” Rees said, likening the donation to efforts of tobacco and oil companies in the past trying to curry favor with the public regardless of the dangers of their product . “[A company that] makes a product that’s entertaining but harmful, makes this kind of gesture for some good PR,” Lovre agreed. “They are in trouble,” Jacques Pugh, a CTE teacher at Garfield said, referring to the bill to ban Tiktok. “They are a definite intelligence gathering system for the Chinese government,” Pugh added. Pugh was especially intrigued by the ceremony that Tiktok executed at Garfield, which he described as “aggressive” and as an “organized marketing campaign.” The whole process was “chaotic [and] very rushed out,” Jennifer Marquardt, the co-president of the Garfield PTSA said. The true reasoning behind the donation is still unknown, when she asked Tiktok representatives regarding choosing Garfield specifically, Marquardt didn’t get a clear answer.
Regardless of the motivations of Tiktok, the donation is appreciated especially during a time when the district is issuing many budget cuts. “It’s 10,000 more dollars than we had and… [PTSA is] going to do good stuff with it,” Lovre said. For now, this donation will benefit the Garfield community but the reasoning behind it continues to be obscure.
