With the possibility of TikTok disappearing in the US, creators on the app spent the week posting heartfelt goodbyes to their fans.
“Never in a million years did I ever think anyone would care about anything I say,” Kimberly Rhoades, a comedy video creator, told her 3 million followers on Thursday. “If this app goes away, it’s been a beautiful, beautiful journey.”
A day later, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 to uphold the law requiring a forced sale of TikTok by Chinese-based ByteDance or a ban on the app in the US. Americans consumed social media while stuck indoors during the pandemic is set to go dark as soon as Sunday, meaning it could disappear from the web 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 ties to China.
In a follow-up video Friday, Rhoades sang about 30 seconds of “Taps,” the military song often played at funerals. She finished by saying, “It was an honor to make you laugh.”
The fate of TikTok in the US now rests in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, who initially favored a ban on TikTok during his first administration but has since opposed the issue. In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the law and allow his administration “an opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the issues at issue in this case.”
In a Friday post on his social media app Truth Social, Trump wrote: “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I need time to review the situation. Stay tuned! ” TikTok Chief Executive 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 work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available” in the US
Giovanna Gonzalez of Chicago demonstrates outside the US Capitol after a press conference by the creators of TikTok to voice their opposition to the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act, pending legislation to crackdown on TikTok in the House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington. , USA, March 12, 2024.Â
Craig Hudson | Reuters
If Trump eventually finds a way to keep the app alive for American consumers, many TikTok creators are bracing for an end, telling their fans to find them on other social platforms like Google’s YouTube and Facebook and Instagram. Flaws, CNBC previously reported. . RedNote, a Chinese social media app similar to TikTok, climbed to the top of Apple’s app store on Monday, showing that millions of TikTok users were looking for alternatives.
The migration of creators seems to have increased as the ban deadline approaches. Influencers like Megan Cruz used their farewell videos as an opportunity to promote TikTok’s attributes.
“Everyone had the potential to be a leader”
“People got engaged with things like BookTok and FilmTok and the idea of engaging in culture on TikTok because you didn’t have to be a big 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 resonated with millions of people.”
TikTok’s history as a viral sensation dates back to 2017, when ByteDance spent about $1 billion to buy a startup called Musical.ly. ByteDance combined Musical.ly and TikTok the following year.
TikTok began to make inroads in the US 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 Internet giants Meta and Google launched copycat services. Meta introduced Reels to US Instagram users in August 2020 and then added it to Facebook. Google introduced 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 US, compared to 258 million for YouTube, 253 million for Facebook and 131 million for Instagram, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
Although TikTok remains its rivals in total 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 US who fit that category, compared to about 5.2 million on Instagram and 1.1 million on YouTube, according to HypeAuditor, an influencer marketing platform.Â
Businessman Frank McCourt’s online advocacy group, The Liberty Project, announced on January 9 that it had submitted a proposal to buy TikTok from ByteDance on undisclosed terms. McCourt told CNBC on Friday that “we, I believe, are the only bidder” that meets the criteria needed to unbundle the technology from the Chinese algorithm.
If ByteDance decides to sell, potential buyers could have to shell out between $40 billion and $50 billion, according to an estimate of TikTok’s U.S. operations by CFRA Senior Vice President of Research Angelo Zino.Â
Some creators, anticipating a shutdown, are letting their fans know where they can find them. Others are encouraging users to unfollow them on Meta’s services, or encouraging them to take a break from social media altogether.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that once TikTok is gone, you’re just going to cut social media out of your life, and I encourage you to — it’s probably going to be really healthy for you,” Jack said. Ryan, a creator with 2 million TikTok followers, in a video on Thursday thanked his fans for their support.
“I have an Instagram. I have a sizable following there, but don’t follow me on Instagram,” Ryan added. “Don’t go on there. It’s brain rot. It’s gross.”
Jonas Gindin, who has more than 400,000 Tiktok followers, said in a video that a year and a half ago he was waiting tables while trying to become an actor in Los Angeles. He didn’t have much luck.
After finding a fan base on TikTok, Gindin said he has been able 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 the world, bro.”
WATCH: It’s up to Apple and Google whether they want to keep TikTok in their app stores, says the NSA’s Gerstell
