TikTok influencers Florin Vitan (L) and Alessia Lanza perform a video for the social network TikTok ... [+]
TikTok is an increasingly popular app, especially popular with younger users, including influencers who have made a career from sharing videos that promote brands specifically marketed to Generation Z. With more than 80 million monthly users in the U.S., more than half are under the age of 34 or the millennial generation. Now, bipartisan legislation seeks to ban the popular Chinese social media app TikTok from operating in the U.S., a ban that would curb a profitable channel for both influencers and their sponsors.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation this week that proposed blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern.
"We know [TikTok] is used to manipulate feeds and influence elections," the senator said in a statement. "We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China. There is no more time to waste on meaningless negotiations with a CCP-puppet company. It is time to ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good."
The ominously titled ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is an acronym for the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wis) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"It is troubling that rather than encouraging the administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement,
Impacting Influencers
A ban on TikTok in the U.S. would immediately change how influencers and content creators operate, as it would remove what has become one of the most popular platforms. However, TikTok is far from the only platform where influencers and other creators post content.
"When your livelihood is on the line, and you are forced to change, there is no other option besides change. If TikTok is banned, I see content creators and users of TikTok in the US and worldwide shifting their attention to other major social media platforms, and some eventually gravitating towards decentralized social media applications," suggested Luke Lintz, CEO of digital marketing and social media management company HighKey Enterprises.
TikTok has become the most important platform for influencers today because it breeds what Lintz describes as "virality," which means that every creator is one video away from becoming an influencer. That is the main differentiating factor from all other social media platforms. As a result, TikTok has gathered a massive daily active user base.
"By collecting an unbelievable amount of data points about each user, the algorithms feed every user exactly what they want to see," Lintz said in an email. "Since there is so much diversity in the world, it has allowed many influencers and businesses to find their content niche and grow a loyal fanbase within it."
TikTok also essentially changed the game in terms of how much and how effective short-form content is delivered to users and it has become so effective that it forced every other major social media platform to create a competing feature.
"Instagram/Facebook created Reels and changed their algorithms to favor Reels. YouTube created Shorts and changed its homepage setup to showcase Shorts heavily," added Lintz.
If the platform is actually banned, there will likely be a massive adverse reaction, mainly from content creators and companies that have spent upwards of thousands of hours building their audiences.
"Some businesses and personal brands have paid us hundreds of thousands of dollars to build their brands with TikTok-specific videography, daily posting, and growth strategies over the years. With that all disappearing overnight, there will be a lot of outrage," said Lintz.
However, that could mean very little to government officials – who are concerned about the privacy and security issues.
TikTok Alternatives
In many ways, it could also be argued that TikTok is just the flavor of the day. It wasn't the first social media platform and it certainly won't be the last. If it is banned, this could provide an opportunity for the other services to step up or a new one to emerge.
One possible TikTok alternative could be the blockchain DeSo (Decentralized Social Media).
"Developers have been building applications on top of this blockchain that are replicas of all the major social media platforms," said Lintz. "With something as catastrophic as a ban on TikTok in the U.S. and so much uncertainty with Twitter, I see users and creators searching for opportunities like DeSo, where they own 100% of their content on the blockchain making it impossible to have their profiles deleted, which is an enticing opportunity."
