TikTok’s biggest creators imagine what would happen if the app disappeared
TikTok creators can’t seem to escape a maelstrom of policy and security concerns lately. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion national security package into law. This included the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which gives TikTok parent company ByteDance 270 days to sell the platform or cease operations in the United States. Policymakers argue that the bill is not a “ban” but a way to get China-based ByteDance to divest from TikTok. The battle over TikTok could play out in court for much longer than the roughly nine months before the deadline, but the app’s uncertain future has ignited a passion among its many creators, who depend on it for community, connection, and their livelihood.
About By 2023, 150 million Americans were using TikTokand a possible ban — or some other action that would radically alter the app — would change the fabric of modern American culture. It’s a hub for fun anime adaptations, the perfect four-ingredient salad recipe, tips on how to clean your house, personal journal entries from other users that go viral, and, unlike Washington’s move, a place where lawmakers can talk directly to voters. . TikTok is home to a plethora of communities and conversations, and people who create content for the platform are facing a possible end to it all. As creators and experts tell Polygon, TikTok is an audience-building hub that has ties to every other social platform, and its loss would erode the livelihoods of people trying to stay connected in a fragmenting online experience.
Casey Fiesler, a professor in the information sciences department at the University of Colorado Boulder, who more than 115,000 followers on TikTok itself with videos about the cultural significance of the platform, says TikTok’s greatest achievement is its recommendation algorithm. Compared to other apps, it is “exceptionally good” at helping people find what they need, especially viewers who are often oppressed in other areas of life. Fiesler points to political organizing, LGBTQ rights and chronic illness as topics where TikTok’s recommendation engine has allowed people with shared experiences and perspectives to cluster. “They literally find life-saving information and support,” she says.
TikTok’s amazing ability to connect people with audiences who share their specific interests is reflected in the rise of some of its biggest creators. Eleanor Barnes, better known as Snitchery, built one huge audience of over 4.1 million followers on TikTok by sharing videos showcasing inventive makeup looks and unusual cosplays. If you don’t know her by her handle, you may have seen her as the cabbage salesman from Avatar: The last airbender or a cursed one Thomas the Tank Engine.
“I’ve been working full-time as a content creator for almost a decade, and within the first year of signing up, TikTok quickly became the platform with my largest audience,” Barnes told Polygon. For her, losing TikTok wouldn’t just be a matter of missing that audience, but also of using the platform as a way to find information for herself. “More than anything, I would miss all the things I learn from TikTok on a regular basis. Everything from obscure historical facts to how to tie a tie, I usually skip to it. Career-wise, I’ve been in the industry long enough; I think I’ll be fine no matter what happens with the ban. I still have my other platforms. But it would be a huge shame to lose access to all that information,” says Barnes.
Barnes and most creators have other platforms to focus on, but as many note, TikTok acts as a catalyst that brings viewers Unpleasant the other platforms. Umi, better known online at her handle, Uwumi, rose to fame on TikTok in 2019 after going viral for dancing to a remix of “Jump Up, Super Star!” by Super Mario Odyssey. Uwumi says TikTok has boosted the “whole” of her online presence and community. The platform remains the easiest place “for anyone to go viral without necessarily depending on quality” or video length. Her more than 900,000 followers also play an important role in securing sponsorship. “All the opportunities I have been given – my community, connections, sponsorships and platform in general – are thanks to my first rise on TikTok in 2019,” she wrote via email.
Nina Kemper, talent manager at Grail Talent, an agency that represents more than 650 creators worldwide, says a TikTok ban would not only take away direct revenue streams from platforms like the TikTok Creator Fund Program, but could result in creators losing brand deals that further than just the TikTok Creator Fund program. the platform. “Many of them have been on the platform for years and have built a loyal following that resides primarily on TikTok,” Kemper says via email, “so many fear that years of hard work and dedication will soon be undone without determination to be found .”
Kevin Espiritu, the person behind it Epic gardening, which gives people gardening tips, estimated that any break or complete ban from the app would result in it losing 3.1 million followers – many of whom are in the 18 to 24 age group and unlikely to return to Instagram, YouTube or other social platforms. And for Espiritu, that audience is the “testing ground” for experiments that other algorithms might reject.
“I was hopeful that the ‘gap’ would be filled by an increase in YouTube Shorts viewers or Instagram Reels, but I’m not sure,” he says. “It would definitely be a big hit for our brand. Many great collaboration opportunities have emerged as a result of the exclusive use of TikTok.” Espiritu points to appearances on national talk shows that have taken him off stage.
While it’s easy to focus on larger influencers, Fiesler also emphasizes that the loss of TikTok could impact smaller and mid-sized creators who rely on the app for much-needed extra income. Anecdotally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she heard that TikTok became a major source of income for creators with disabilities — a second job that could dry up if ByteDance doesn’t find a viable buyer.
“When people talk about losing income, I think they think of huge influencers with six-figure brand deals,” Fiesler says. “That’s not what I’m talking about when I talk about loss of income. I mean someone who has a full-time job for minimum wage and can do something fun in their spare time. They’re talking about it Stardew Valley on TikTok, and they can earn an additional $100 per month with the TikTok Creator Program. If they lose that $100 a month, it could mean they suddenly have trouble paying the rent.”
Erynn Chambers, known on the platform as Rynnstar, a creator whose commentary ranges from contemporary political issues to in-depth discussions about them Steven Universe, has amassed more than 1.2 million followers. Her profile serves as a discussion center in which politics and popular culture are dissected. If TikTok were to disappear, Rynnstar would likely move to Twitch and YouTube, but for now she’s biding her time by speaking out on the legislation.
“I think it is unconscionable for the government to make such a blatant attempt to restrict the freedom of expression of its citizens,” Chambers said. “TikTok poses no greater threat to our data security than any other social media platform, and honestly, perhaps even less so. Once again our so-called representatives have completely failed to represent the interests of their constituents in favor of lobby groups.”
Lawmakers allege that TikTok owner ByteDance has shared or could share TikTok user data with the Chinese government. There is some evidenceAlthough there is no overwhelming evidence to suggest this occurred. TikTok certainly has its problems, and despite advocating TikTok’s power, Fiesler acknowledges its failures. However, simply taking it away would have enormous consequences for its many creators. Ultimately, what matters is that we take into account the fact that the platform can be improved, and the negative effects of a ban on it.
“There are a lot of problems,” says Fiesler. “There are privacy issues. There are issues with content moderation. There are bias problems. I can say a lot: there are problems with the way they pay people. There’s a lot I can say. Most of the things I can say are also issues on other social media platforms. And those things don’t mean that there isn’t a lot of good stuff on the platform as well.”