Arguments are set to take place on Jan. 10, under an agreement to expediate the timeline. The goal: For the US and TikTok to reach an agreement before Jan. 19 when the legislation banning the ByteDance-owned platform would go into effect.
At the time of this story’s original publication on Dec. 11, the case was still at the federal appeals court.
- As a TikTok ban looms, influencers worry they’ll lose content creation tools, face audience fragmentation and have to navigate cultural shifts.
- While economic impact may be a consideration for analysts, creators are more concerned about losing community as other sites already offer more lucrative opportunities.
- Wherever the courts land, creators say it’s been a valuable lesson in building engaged ecosystems over gaming platform-specific algorithms.
As analysts and pundits fret over the potential financial impact a TikTok ban would have on the creator economy, actual influencers don’t seem quite as worried.
On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld a law that would ban TikTok in the US unless it is sold to a new owner. TikTok plans on appealing the case to the Supreme Court, but for now, creators are making plans for the potential January cutoff.
This change could have serious consequences for their ability to stay connected with their audiences — but they’re optimistic the impact won’t be too detrimental to their personal finances. Their main fears? Losing powerful content creation tools, facing audience fragmentation and navigating the cultural shifts that could be triggered by the app’s disappearance.
“It highlights the critical reminder that we don’t truly own the content we share on these platforms,” Leonard Young, the creator behind Delawareblack.com, told Technical.ly, “and it can be removed or restricted at any time.”
Despite the app’s popularity, Leonard isn’t much of a TikTok user, he said. So a potential ban could be good for him, driving followers back to Instagram which is “where we already have a strong presence and could see increased engagement and advertising opportunities as a result.”
Other creators fear loss of community — in some cases, in the hundreds of thousands of followers.
“I would lose 440,000 followers and four years worth of content and memories,” said Pittsburgh-based creator Joe Long, known as @joelongtok on TikTok.
Losing the outlet would probably impact his mental health, he said, explaining that he creates TikToks to make people laugh while also spreading awareness about mental illness and addiction — and finds that therapeutic.
The backlash against the app from elected officials stems from its parent company, ByteDance, being based in China. The yearslong effort to ban TikTok goes back to an ethos among US lawmakers about possible security concerns because of its location. The anti-TikTok crowd fears that the 170 million American users could have their data turned over to the Chinese government because of the country’s intelligence laws.
Beyond the ban’s potential economic impact on creators, the lawsuits and legislation have been criticized for xenophobic rhetoric, and TikTok users have suggested it would undermine First Amendment rights.
Companies behind rival sites are well aware that they have a lot to gain from a TikTok ban.
Over the last couple years, Meta has worked with multiple PR firms to launch a nationwide media campaign spreading false information about TikTok in efforts to reinforce ideas that the app is dangerous for children and American society.
After Friday’s news, Meta’s stock gained more than 2%, reaching another all-time high.
“They knew they couldn’t buy them and they couldn’t beat them,” said Jessica Ghilani, a University of Pittsburgh communications professor who specializes in digital culture, consumer history and media studies. “They’ve tried to launch products that are competitors to TikTok, but they haven’t been as successful.”
Wherever the courts land, creators say it’s been a valuable lesson.
“This moment with TikTok is a wake-up call for the creator economy,” said Adedayo Fashanu, cofounder of news aggregator and creator platform SYNDEX by media technology company TANTV. “The future isn’t about finding the next platform to replace it — it’s about building ecosystems that prioritize creators’ autonomy and long-term sustainability.”
A logistical hurdle for monetization, video editing and learning
More than just an endlessly entertaining scroll, creators said, TikTok offers a chance for influencers to learn from one another and other tangible resources.
“TikTok provides people an opportunity with a smaller following to earn money on lives and selling stuff in the shop,” said Bill Stiteler, a Pittsburgh content creator who goes by @saxboybilly18. “People make money on there in the wildest way, it’s led to sales creativity.”
While Stiteler hasn’t monetized his content on TikTok and primarily focuses on building his social media presence on Instagram, the ban would still mean the significant loss of a “super powerful analytic tool.” The first 300 views of a video can tell a creator the age range, gender and interest group that their content appeals to, he said.
TikTok’s sister app CapCut, a popular option for creators editing short-form content, could also be banned. Losing both apps could throw a wrench in creator productivity.
Heather Cox, who runs a social media management service and creates her own content as @HeatherCoxCodes, says that’s the platform of preference to edit clients' shortform content that may end up on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Plus, TikTok is where she does her research for her clients, from recent news to education and searching for products.
Creators flock to other sites to keep up engagement
The most popular pivots among the creators we spoke with? Instagram and YouTube. Both platforms allow users to post short-form video content and offer better pay, said Nicole Young, a Pittsburgh-based content creator.
“I have asked influencer managers of brands that I’ve worked with recently what platforms they favor and it has been expressed that sponsored content on TikTok is ‘less stable’ in terms of views than that of Instagram, which is why I think I've fared better on that platform as a creator,” Nicole said.
Nicole also predicts YouTube’s powerful search engine will make it an “attractive replacement for the users that favored TikTok for entertainment and information,” she said.
Even platforms like Snapchat could benefit, said Ghilani, the University of Pittsburgh communications professor. The short-form video social media platform has struggled in recent years to retain users and generate revenue, but the app’s stock climbed more than 3% after Friday’s news of the ban being upheld.
“When this happens, there's a lot of stuff up for grabs,” Ghilani said. “There's also an opportunity for a new player to emerge, so it’s an opportunity for innovation.”
The other sites can’t compete with TikTok’s algorithm, though, according to Cox. From her experience, Instagram doesn’t suggest content based on a user’s interactions, which TikTok excels at.
“The engagement on the other platforms does not bode well for selling and being a creator on those platforms since people do not comment and engage as much as people over on TikTok,” Cox said.
Creators have pivoted before, and they’ll do it again
Social media sites have disappeared before. The graveyard of online places to gather include MySpace, Vine, Friendster and more, as Jane Clark, cofounder of creative agency BrandSwan, said.
Hours spent scrolling on one, redirected to the next big thing. After all, “short-form video content is here to stay,” Clark said.
Creators are prepared for this. Just like they did in the past, they’ll adapt again.
“Although [TikTok] is a huge platform, I never felt like I needed to grow my audience there along with my other platforms,” Nicole said. “Balancing a couple of successful platforms was hard enough with a full-time job.”
Take Vine, for instance. After the short-form video platform was discontinued, TikTok rose in popularity, filling the void left by its predecessor. More recently, X’s new terms and conditions drove users to leave the app en masse to try other platforms like BlueSky or Threads.
Each shift in platform popularity has the potential to reshape both culture and consumer behavior, said Ghilani.
“There is no doubt that TikTok was driving how trends and internet culture evolved and that sometimes impacted how I create content for platforms like Instagram and YouTube, such as the sounds that I used or the format of my videos,” Nicole said.
While some hope to direct their audiences to the platform of their choice, others plan to follow their audience.
“If the audience is someplace else, we'll find them,” Clark said. “I like to meet people where they are, even if that means a new platform.”
Before you go...
Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.
Join our growing Slack community
Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!
