Skye Bowie, an 18-year-old content creator on TikTok, started her account in early 2022. And with her posts about yoga, fashion and various lifestyle content, she rapidly grew her following to over 82,000 throughout the year. But in recent months, with the legislative threats to ban TikTok from government devices(or even altogether in the U.S.), Bowie is one of a number of creators worried about the fate of the app, as they have invested time and resources to grow followings and secure brand deals specific to TikTok.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pioneer and a trailblazer for other apps in the same space,\u201d said Bowie. \u201cThere are a lot of businesses that profit off of making content themselves on TikTok or doing it through people like us, so it has a lot of social and economic dominance in our society. Taking it away is like moving backwards; almost like bringing our internet, or at least this format of the internet, back to pre-Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Federal legislation<\/a> prohibiting government employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices and computer networks has gained traction in recent months. And this month, New Jersey and Ohio will join 12 other states in banning the use of the popular video app on government-owned and managed devices.<\/p>\n This push to potentially ban TikTok is the latest move by the U.S. government regarding the app. Previous interest banning TikTok during the Trump administration<\/a> had marketers worried, but the ban did not come to fruition. <\/p>\n Despite the legislative interest in curbing the app\u2019s growth in the U.S., TikTok saw a surge of small businesses users<\/a> in 2022 who used the app alongside creators and influencers who had built their followings on the platform already. The businesses joined TikTok as it continued to grow in popularity<\/a>, especially among Gen Z, making it more appealing to brands seeking the attention of younger demographics.<\/p>\n At the same time, questions remain about data privacy on TikTok \u2014 a major issue at the center of the legislative interest. For instance, ByteDance, TikTok\u2019s China-based parent company, is using the app to monitor specific U.S. citizens\u2019 locations. And a variety of methods are used to collect user data<\/a>, including scanning hard drives and geolocating devices every hour, accessing calendars, and collecting contact lists, according to Wired. It is unclear what information a foreign government could obtain about users, such as location and private messages. <\/p>\n Even so, creators and those who work with creators want to keep growing their audiences on the app. For example, Bowie created her TikTok account to share her love of yoga with the audience she surprisingly gained, and soon her account grew to include sharing pieces of her lifestyle. \u201cAlthough it originally started out as a fun little hobby, I fell in love with the creative process behind making these kinds of videos,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Bowie\u2019s not alone. Other creators and agency executives are also concerned about the potential disruption. One of those is Elma Beganovich, co-CEO of digital marketing agency Amra and Elma<\/a>. She has 2 million followers across social channels and said that a ban of the app would be a mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the government got rid of TikTok all together, of course brands could no longer work with creators and influencers, mostly Gen Z, and reach that target group that easily,\u201d said Beganovich, whose content focuses on lifestyle.<\/p>\n \u201cAny interruption or ban on TikTok would invariably affect thousands of creators making a full or supplemental living on the platform,\u201d said Ryan Detert, CEO of marketing agency Influential. He added that many small businesses that use TikTok got started during the pandemic and were able to grow their brands on the platform. \u201cAnd by proxy, technologies and agencies would be adversely affected with upwards of 50% of spends on creator campaigns happening on TikTok,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With all that being said, some execs hope that TikTok\u2019s parent company will work with the government to tweak its practices and avoid a possible ban. <\/p>\n Jeff Duncan, CEO of Talent Management Company, which represents TikTok stars like influencer Renee Estella and Chole Veitch of Netflix\u2019s \u201cToo Hot to Handle,\u201d said he believes ByteDance has to adjust its practices and agree to some level of regulation. \u201cRest assured, if a ban in the United States occurs, it would likely be the first domino to fall and I feel it\u2019s unlikely for an $11 billion dollar company to stomach a total ban,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A TikTok ban would disrupt the way smaller brands and content creators use the app on a daily basis. Direct-to-consumer period care brand Viv<\/a>, skin care brand Truly<\/a>, Crumbl Cookies<\/a> and Chosen Foods<\/a> are all brands that not only create content for the platform, but they have also built their own organic communities as a result. Throughout 2022, marketers turned to TikTok to focus more on advertising to Gen Z<\/a> because they spend more time on the app than on Instagram and Facebook.<\/p>\n Given the possibility of TikTok being limited in some way, marketers and agency execs believe creators need to make sure they\u2019re not overly reliant on the platform.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been telling our creators for a while to hedge themselves and build up their community on other platforms just in case the app is banned,\u201d said Harry Gestetner, founder and co-CEO of content creator marketplace Fanfix. \u201cAlthough this bill has bipartisan support, I think it will be highly unpopular with Gen Z and likely hurt politicians\u2019 popularity with young voters.\u201d<\/p>\n Although creators could take brand deals to other apps, content formats would likely have to be different and the rates they are paid could decline if there are fewer views on other platforms compared to TikTok, according to Gestetner. \u201cThat being said, the TikTok algorithm is very effective at sniffing out ads and limiting the reach of promotional posts, so there is a possibility that these promotions would get better engagement on YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels,\u201d said Gestetner. <\/p>\n Duncan added that Talent Management Company will go where the brands require them to be. \u201cBrands need eyes so wherever the public goes, the brands will follow,\u201d said Duncan.<\/p>\n A TikTok creator can spend thousands of hours investing in creating content, from shooting on location to styling their wardrobes, hair and makeup, and hiring a videographer to film videos, according to Beganovich. If an all-out ban were to happen, it would be a huge loss of investment for creators, both financially and considering the time they\u2019ve spent building their audiences.<\/p>\n According to Bowie and Beganovich, their follower communities would also disappear if the platform faced a ban, and it would be almost impossible to duplicate those communities elsewhere.<\/p>\n Beganovich said she spoke with other TikTok creators and influencers, and the census among creators is trepidation. \u201cIt\u2019s a very scary thought that within a day someone can erase any prospect of your livelihood, from endorsements to limited collection deals with advertisers to perks, really anything,\u201d said Beganovich. \u201cIt\u2019s the prospect of your worst nightmare as a creator coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCreators express apprehension<\/h2>\n
Thinking beyond TikTok \u2014 just in case<\/h2>\n