With the prospect of TikTok disappearing in the US, the app’s creators spent the week posting heartfelt goodbyes to their followers.
“I never in a million years thought anyone would care what I say,” said comedy video creator Kimberly Rhoades. he told his 3 million followers on Thursday. “If this app goes away, it will be a beautiful, beautiful journey.”
A day later, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of upholding the law calling for the forced sale of TikTok by ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, or a ban on the app in the US. short-form that rose to popularity and changed the way Americans who consumed social media while stuck indoors during the pandemic will go dark on Sunday, meaning they could disappear from the internet and be removed from app stores run by Apple and Google.
Congress passed the law, signed by President Joe Biden, citing national security concerns over TikTok’s data collection practices and its ties to China.
In a follow-up video On Friday, Rhoades hummed about 30 seconds of “Faucets,” the military song often played at funerals. He ended by saying, “It was an honor to make you laugh.”
The fate of TikTok in the United States now rests in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, who originally favored a ban on TikTok during his first administration but has since changed his mind on the matter. In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the implementation of the law and allow his administration “the opportunity to seek a political resolution of the issues at issue in the case.”
In a Friday post on his social media app Fact Social, Trump wrote: “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” TikTok CEO Shou Chew is one of several tech leaders expected to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington, DC, on Monday. In a short video, Chew thanked Trump “for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available” in the US.
Giovanna González, of Chicago, demonstrates in front of the US Capitol after a press conference by TikTok creators to express her opposition to the “Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act,” pending legislation repression against TikTok in the House of Representatives, in the Washington Capitol. United States, March 12, 2024.
Craig Hudson | Reuters
Whether Trump eventually finds a way to keep the app alive for American consumers, many TikTok creators have been preparing for a shutdown, telling their fans to find them on other social platforms like Google’s YouTube and Facebook and Instagram. Goal, CNBC previously reported. RedNote, a Chinese social media app similar to TikTok, rose to the top of Apple’s App Store on Monday, indicating that TikTok’s millions of users were looking for alternatives.
The migration of creators appears to have gained momentum as the ban deadline approached. Influencers like Megan Cruz used their farewell videos as an opportunity to promote TikTok’s attributes.
‘Anyone had the potential to be a leader’
“People were engaged with things like BookTok and FilmTok and the idea of getting involved in culture on TikTok because it wasn’t necessary to be a great creator,” Cruz said. in a video posted earlier this week. “There was an incentive for people to join the conversation because anyone had the potential to be a leader in a conversation, to make a point that would resonate with millions of people.”
TikTok’s history as a viral sensation dates back to 2017, when ByteDance spent around $1 billion to acquire a startup called Musical.ly. ByteDance combined Musical.ly and TikTok the following year.
TikTok began gaining traction in the United States around that time, primarily as an app that young people used for short dance clips and lip-sync videos. TikTok’s big break came during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, when consumers were looking for ways to pass the time and connect with others online.
The app was so successful that Web giants Meta and Google launched copycat services. Meta introduced Reels to US Instagram users in August 2020 and later added it to Facebook. Google launched YouTube Shorts in the US in March 2021.
Despite the competition, TikTok continued to grow.
TikTok has about 115 million monthly active users in the United States, compared to YouTube’s 258 million, Facebook’s 253 million and Instagram’s 131 million, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
Although TikTok lags behind its rivals in total number of users, the Chinese app has become a hub for creators, defined as users with more than 1,000 followers. TikTok has nearly 8.5 million users in the United States who fit into that category, compared to about 5.2 million on Instagram and 1.1 million on YouTube, according to HypeAuditor, an influencer marketing platform.
Entrepreneur Frank McCourt’s Web advocacy group, Challenge Liberty, announced on Jan. 9 that it had submitted a proposal to buy TikTok from ByteDance on undisclosed terms. McCourt told CNBC on Friday that “I believe we are the only bidder” that meets the criteria needed to disentangle the technology from the Chinese algorithm.
If ByteDance decides to sell, potential buyers could have to spend between $40 billion and $50 billion, according to one valuation estimate of TikTok’s US operations from CFRA Analysis senior vice president Angelo Zino.
Some creators, anticipating a closure, inform their followers where they can find them. Others encourage users to unfollow them on Meta services or to take a break from social media.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that once TikTok goes away, you will eliminate social media from your life and I recommend that you do so; It will probably be very healthy for you,” Jack Ryan said. a creator with 2 million followers on TikTok, in a video on Thursday thanking his followers for their support.
“I have Instagram. “I have a lot of followers there, but don’t follow me on Instagram,” Ryan added. “Don’t stay there. It’s brain rot. It’s disgusting.”
Jonas Gindin, who has more than 400,000 followers on Tiktok, said in a video that a year and a half ago he was waiting tables while trying to become an actor in Los Angeles. I wasn’t having much luck.
After finding a following on TikTok, Gindin said he managed to produce content full-time on the app.
“If we’re cooked, it’s been a ride, man,” Gindin said. “Every time I see someone comment something positive, it means a lot, bro.”
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