#96 The Power of Community on TikTok
Guest written by Social Media Strategist, Jessica Jones
By the time you’re reading this, we will have less than 12 hours before TikTok officially goes dark in the United States.
TikTok is a popular social media platform that was first released in September 2016 by the Chinese tech company ByteDance. It has been available globally since 2017.
And since then-President Donald Trump declared TikTok to be a threat to national security in 2020, TikTok has been on borrowed time, facing multiple attempts to ban the app in the U.S.
Here’s a breakdown of the current TikTok ban timeline:
March 2024: The House of Representatives passes a bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company.
April 2024: Senate signs the bill and sends it to President Joe Biden who also signs it.
May 2024: Both TikTok and ByteDance sue the U.S. government, claiming that the TikTok ban is unconstitutional.
December 2024: A federal appeals court in Washington DC upholds the constitutionality of the TikTok ban.
January 17th, 2025: The Supreme Court unanimously upholds the federal law requiring TikTok to be banned on January 19th, claiming the security risk outweighed the free speech concerns. President Biden announces that they will not be enforcing the ban on the 19th, granting a 36-hour stay to allow the Trump administration to make a decision on Monday, January 20th. (Yes, the same President Biden who originally signed the bill.) TikTok shares on X that the statement from the Biden administration was not clear enough to provide assurance that the ban will not be enforced. They announce that TikTok will go dark on January 19th.
January 18th, 2025: President-elect Donald Trump tells NBC that he will likely give TikTok a 90-day extension on Monday. (Yes, the same President Trump who originally called for a TikTok ban.)
This won’t be the last update today. Follow me on Instagram for more information as it’s available.
So what does this mean for TikTok?
Even though TikTok will go dark on January 19th (meaning U.S. users will no longer be able to access the app), it does not mean that TikTok will be gone forever. The Trump administration can still sign an executive order on Monday giving TikTok a 60 or 90 day extension, in which case TikTok can resume operations in the U.S.
Before TikTok goes dark:
It does mean, however, that right now is the time to protect yourself as a creator. If you have been using TikTok over the past 8 years, today is the day to save your TikTok content and data.
Here’s a breakdown of how to do that.
Please note that downloading your data isn’t enough. The links in those .txt files are still housed in TikTok’s servers which we will lose access to. Make sure you save your content to your devices so you can repurpose it to other short-form video content platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
What will losing TikTok mean for brands and creators?
Globally, there are over 1 billion monthly active users on TikTok, including 170 million domestic users. (There are 334.9 million citizens in the United States, meaning 50.7% of Americans are TikTok users.)
TikTok also contributed $24.2 billion to the U.S. GDP in 2023.
And what makes TikTok such an important social media platform? Community.
(You had to know this is where we were going – it is Becky’s newsletter after all.)
TikTok’s algorithm is unlike that of any other social media platform, serving users content that it knows they love while simultaneously sharing new brands, new products, and new content, entirely based on that user’s individual behavior and preferences, allowing creators and brands to connect personally with their audiences.
TikTok is broken up into niche micro-communities and subcultures. For example, an engaged couple planning a wedding will likely find themselves on #weddingtok, and a millennial who recently found themselves reading fantasy books again after not reading fiction for 10 years (ehem, Becky) will start getting #booktok content.
Brands and creators participated in these subcultures and were part of the conversation alongside their target audience. And TikTok users weren’t even upset that brands had infiltrated their communities because of the way they showed up.
According to TikTok, 76% of their users enjoy when brands are part of their interest groups. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a warm, fuzzy feeling about a brand on a Meta platform.
TikTok has always been a platform for casual, informal content which allows consumers and brands to seamlessly connect and build relationships–unlike platforms like Instagram that are more polished and buttoned up.
TikTok was built on shared passions and community crossovers with an algorithm that could truly dial in to each user’s specific interests. This allowed users–even users who are brands and creators–to experiment with their content because odds are, no matter what you’re creating, there is a community on TikTok for you.
TikTok users often say that their For You Page (the main content feed) was “built brick by brick” because of how tailored their content is to them.
For example, this past week, a Hozier cover of the Arctic Monkey’s song “Do I Wanna Know?” started trending when accounts were using it on videos of their favorite fictional romances, including a Ron and Hermoine edit with over 2.6M views.
Yes, 2.6 million people live at the intersection of Harry Potter, Hozier, and the Arctic Monkeys.
And TikTok has been a place where any user–creator, brand, you, or me–could create content, find community, and let their voice be heard without having to increase ad spend to increase their reach (yes, this is shade).
Since TikTok began, brands and creators have been part of the conversation.
They’ve been leading trends and content creation, like DuoLingo and their 14.5 million followers.
They’ve been building authentic relationships with their target audiences, which you can see if you open the comment section on any viral video.
They’ve been unfiltered, honest, and vulnerable with their audiences, giving us actual behind-the-scenes access to their lives.
They’ve even fought for our right to free speech alongside us – Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream has been promoting the People’s March on their TikTok
Losing TikTok means we’re going to lose the space where all of this happened.
We’re going to lose the ability to build communities and authentic relationships between brands and creators and their followers in this way.
And as a social media manager, I, for one, am devastated that we’re going to lose this platform.
So…what now?
For now, you need to download your data and hold onto the hope of TikTok coming back.
And while being incredibly optimistic about the future of TikTok, it’s also time to start planning for a world (or more specifically, a United States) without it.
Save the content you’ve already created there. Make a plan to repurpose it.
170M TikTok users still want community, and as brands and creators, we need to find a way to create it elsewhere.
If you’re looking to level up your social media game then I highly recommend working with Jess on a social strategy. In case you’re meeting her for the first time, we met while I was working at bossbabe when she was their Director of Social. She also ran social for The Everygirl. She is excellent at what she does. DM her at @keepingupsocial on Instagram to book a social strategy with her. She’s offering $300 off when you mention the newsletter through the end of January!
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