As Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban, Creators Fret About The Future

On Friday (Jan. 17), the Supreme Court upheld a law that will see TikTok banned in the U.S. on Sunday (Jan. 19). The decision leaves creators searching for other platforms to reach their audiences.

For creators like Gigi Robinson, TikTok’s silence on how to prepare for a ban has left them feeling uninformed. Robinson said that just today, TikTok invited her to participate in a TikTok Shop campaign, showing a disconnect between what’s happening politically and how TikTok is operating.

“It makes no sense that there’s no communication or things to prepare for this,” said Robinson, adding there was ample time to address creators about the ban. “If they’re a platform that’s for creators, and for small businesses, why are they not saying anything?”

Amid uncertainty about the platform’s future, TikTok creators have begun to diversify their content by sharing insights on LinkedIn, starting newsletters or websites, and exploring other avenues to establish themselves as thought leaders in their fields.

“It’s going to be a big hit to my networking opportunities, but I’ve been building other platforms and growing a newsletter, so I think I’ll be OK there,” said creator Danielle Bayard Jackson.

Those that haven’t diversified their content will be worse off. “If I’m only a Tiktok creator, what is my agent going to do? Is my agent going to stay with me?” said Jacob Wallach, creator and founder of social media consultancy Social4TheWin.

Others worry it will be difficult to replicate the engagement and income they have been able to find on the platform, especially through TikTok’s Creator program.

“TikTok is the place where culture happens, where trends are made, where songs take off, where books go viral, where people shop,” said Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester.

Holding out hope

Some creators are hopeful that President-elect Donald Trump will save TikTok in the U.S. by temporarily pausing the ban while negotiating a sale with its parent company, ByteDance. Trump is eager to reach a deal and suggested a forced sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, with creators like Mr. Beast expressing interest in buying the platform.

Christian Brown, CMO and co-founder of influencer marketing platform Glewee, believes TikTok could be sold to a U.S. company between the ban taking effect on Sunday and Trump’s inauguration on Monday. “I think we’re going to see a lot more players come to the table,” he said.

But not everyone is convinced. Creator Paula Carozzo, for instance, believes that ultimately, the final decision rests in the hands of the Supreme Court. “At this point, I’m praying, but I’m not sure what much Trump is going to be able to do,” she said.

While the loss of TikTok has shocked the creator economy, some remain hopeful that there will always be a place to connect with their audiences.

“We’ve seen platforms come and go in the past, and will just have to see what will come next,” said creator Anite Gashumov.