The ban on TikTok will be the first case of social media on the verge of extinction

Elizabeth B. Prelogar, the senior attorney for the Biden administration, argued that Congress had the right to pass the ban, saying that the Chinese government could spy on Americans in addition to their contacts through TikTok. “It’s trying to close a vulnerability that an adversary of a foreign country could exploit,” he said. Dozens outside the courtroom TikTok users gathered to support the application. With a deadline of January 19, the court is likely to issue a decision next week – which could have long-term implications for the future of social media for creators. If it goes into effect, it’s unclear if or how President-elect Trump will fare enforce the ban once in office.

“Ultimately, I would feel like I lost everything,” Dunn says when I ask him about the ban. “I don’t think people understand what it’s like to keep a roof over my head. It’s like people saying your company is going out of business and you don’t control it.”

In addition to brand deals, Dunn participates in TikTok’s creator rewards program pays creators with a minimum of 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly views to create original up-to-the-minute content. Between brand partnerships and the money made through the app, Dunn, 30, tells me he’s averaging several “five-figure months” in 2024. they shout,” he says.

The app’s e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop, was a game changer for small business owners when it debuted in September 2023. Everything, including a few initial hiccups, snail slime-TikTok Shop has proven to be huge; of the program increase in sellers It outsold competitors like Amazon, which TikTok eventually sought to replace (or at least dethrone). Beauty products and women’s clothing are often top sellers on the platform. according to ShopifyBy 2023, 12 percent of TikTok Stores were in the United States 45 percent The number of Americans who have purchased through the TikTok Shop. In 2023daily US sales exceeded $7 million.

Renee McClintock, a 29-year-old mother of two, is one of the program’s more tenacious entrepreneurs. You name it, he’s sold: electrolyte packs, a cotton candy machine, iPhone cases, blue jeans, vaginal probiotic gummies. Last summer, A video How much he earned in one week – $4,764.63 – went viral. McClintock declined to speak to me for this story — he only has paid affiliates starting at $150, he wrote in an email — but noted that since July, his total trade volume through the affiliate program has been $600,000.

TikTok isn’t the only platform that allows creators to make money, but it seems to be the exception to the rule. YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch provide different ways for users to earn money through ads or affiliate links. But none of them own TikTok, says Jon Selman, vice president of influencer marketing at BenLabs, whose clients include influencers. Colin Keys, Savagemomlifeand Amaury Guichon.