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US TikTok ban: Users flock to RedNote as UK creators say goodbye to the platform that made their careers

Posted by Caroline Edwards in Comment

1 month ago

It’s looking increasingly likely TikTok will be banned in the US.

The platform, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has until 19 January to be sold to a US business. Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and billionaire Frank McCourt are eager to buy the app, which ByteDance said is not for sale.

On Friday (10 January) the Supreme Court held a hearing with TikTok’s lawyers and content creators. Judges appeared inclined to uphold the federal law for TikTok to be banned. This would affect more than 170 million US users and the app argued that the ban violates users’ First Amendment right to free speech.

Chief justice John Roberts argued Congress was “fine with the expression”, but not with “a foreign adversary” gathering data from users. The government has said TikTok is a national security risk, which is the catalyst behind the shutdown. The judges will be making a decision as soon as Wednesday (15 January).

As a Gen Z American, I’ve seen the death of platforms such as Vine, but that was never at the hands of politicians. TikTok’s argument of the First Amendment is a strong position, but the government argues a national security threat is the greater issue.

So what does it mean if TikTok ceases operations in the US? A lot, but also nothing – at least at first. However, creators such as Reece Feldman (Guy With a Movie Camera) are saying their goodbyes to the platform.

@guywithamoviecamera

just in case, thank you 🥲

♬ original sound – reece

With the shutdown, users will still be able to use the app, but they won’t be able to update it and new users won’t be able to download TikTok from the app store. Without updates, TikTok would slowly become slow and unusable over time. To get around this, people could use a VPN to change their country settings.

Brands will begin putting more money behind platforms such as Instagram, YouTube or Snapchat, so expect US creators to encourage their followers to move with them to other apps. The go-to app right now? Out of protest, users are moving to Chinese app Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book” but is often called RedNote and is similar to Instagram. It has become the top app in Apple’s app store.

@max_balegde

If this is the end for this app please consider following me on the others, my username is the same everywhere. Thank you for everything ❤️😭

♬ Goodbye, thank you (piano, sad)(935916) – TrickSTAR MUSIC

The US TikTok ban would be a precedent-setting ruling and have a global ripple effect, with other countries following suit.

Despite the US creators and users who will be immediately affected, the ban will also impact the UK. Many British TikTokers have strong followings in the US and their views and engagement will be hit. See Max Balegde’s emotional post to his followers.

Is this the end of TikTok? No, but it’s the end of the app as we know it. For creators and brands, let this be a lesson to diversify revenue streams and grow audiences across multiple platforms, from Substack to Instagram. You never know what might happen.

By Caroline Edwards, news and features writer for CORQ.