Can I Use TikTok Even If It’s Banned? They used TikTok to build their professions. They are now preparing for a potential ban.
The social media app is probably going to be removed immediately from the Google and Apple app stores. It’s unclear, though, if customers would lose access altogether.
When the Supreme Court hears arguments on Friday to determine the destiny of the social media app for its 170 million American users, the months-long battle by lawmakers to outlaw it in the US is anticipated to reach a climax.
Users might anticipate the following if TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese corporation ByteDance, is blocked on January 19:
During the spring 2020 pandemic, Molinaro downloaded TikTok for amusement, like many others who were bored at home. Despite posting some of her own cooking films, she mostly watched other people’s videos. However, one of her videos suddenly became very popular.
Molinaro left the partnership at her company a little more than a year later to pursue a full-time career as a TikTok creator. Since then, she has amassed more than 3 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, written a cookbook with the same name, and developed a brand around her profile, @TheKoreanVegan.
Many TikTok influencers, like Molinaro, are currently preparing for the app’s potential prohibition in the US and the potential loss of their six-figure income.
Unless the app is sold or the Supreme Court blocks the statute, a US law that might ban TikTok is scheduled to take effect on January 19. TikTok is challenging the statute, arguing that it violates its First Amendment rights and the rights of its 170 million American users. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the matter on Friday. Because ByteDance, the app’s parent firm, is based in China, the US government has claimed that the app presents a national security danger.
In a court brief to the Supreme Court, the US Justice Department claimed that TikTok gathers enormous amounts of data about tens of millions of Americans that the PRC may use for extortion or espionage. “And the PRC could secretly manipulate the platform to harm the United States and further its geopolitical interests.”
However, based on their earnings, it appears that many TikTok users are not worried about the Chinese government.
According to TikTok, if the app is prohibited, the 7 million small businesses in the US that utilize it might lose $1 billion in income, and almost 2 million creators could lose $300 million in profits in just one month.
“The creators and small businesses that depend on TikTok would suffer greatly from a ban,” stated Jess Maddox, an assistant professor who studies internet culture and social media at the University of Alabama. “I’ve spent my career speaking with influencers and creators; they are strong and will change course, but it will be difficult for them in the interim and have a negative financial impact.”
effects of a prohibition on finances.
TikTok’s distinctive algorithm, which gives priority to displaying users engaging material regardless of whether it comes from an account they follow, was largely responsible for the platform’s explosive growth in popularity in 2020. It differed from feeds on previous primary platforms, which were mostly focused on enhancing preexisting social connections. Both users and artists flocked to the app since it was much simpler for them to rapidly grow a following and find success almost immediately if they were able to foresee what the algorithm would demand.
Eli Rallo experienced it when he downloaded the app in 2020 as a senior in college and was stranded at home due to COVID-19.
One evening, I was playing around in our kitchen with my brothers. And I put music in the background of a video I recorded of us filling a jar of snacks with trail mix. Rallo told CNN, “It was kind of random, very Gen Z humor-esque.” And it received about 200,000 views the following day. I was surprised. After that, I simply began creating videos.
Rallo has been working full-time on social media since October 2021; she currently has over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok and is working on her second book.
“Without TikTok, my career just would not be where it is today,” she stated.
According to Rallo, she now frequently signs five-figure contracts with companies to advertise their goods on TikTok. According to Goldman Sachs, the “creator economy,” of which she is a part, may be worth $480 billion by 2027.
According to Rallo, she now frequently signs five-figure contracts with companies to advertise their goods on TikTok. According to Goldman Sachs, the “creator economy,” of which she is a part, may be worth $480 billion by 2027.
Molinaro claimed that since President Joe Biden signed the sale-or-ban law in April, she has already begun to experience the financial effects of a possible ban. Molinaro believes that her revenue from sponsors decreased by 30% in 2024.
Because they are afraid, those brands are not willing to spend money at this time. “Oh, why would I invest money in a campaign that will fail in a matter of days?” she asked. “That has affected me directly, and I have no doubt that it has affected many other influencers as well.”
chance on several platforms.
A ban on TikTok might help rivals like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
However, it can be challenging for those who rely solely on TikTok to switch to those other sites.
The technology has changed. The user type is different. “The culture is different,” Maddox remarked.
Additionally, a ban might affect more than just one person on TikTok. In order to support their professions, many influencers hire teams of accountants, lawyers, and agents to analyze marketing arrangements.
“A lot of people believe that these glitzy, pointless influencers will have to find real jobs if TikTok bans them,” Maddox remarked. Indeed, the wealthiest 1% of people earn a lot of money and have opulent lives. In actuality, however, the individuals who stand to lose the most from a TikTok ban are the staunchly middle-class Americans who use the platform for entertainment, knowledge, business, community building, and follower growth.
Rallo and Molinaro said that for the time being, they are trying to expand their customer bases and diversify their businesses by using email newsletters and other social media platforms.
I once heard someone compare social media to building real estate on sand. Molinaro remarked, “You never know.”
